


Mon Dieu

by deep_doot



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1930s, Alternate Universe - 1940s, Alternate Universe - Historical, Eraqus is a negative nancy, F/M, Falling In Love, Germany, People swear a lot when theyre mad, Psychological Torture, The Gestapo, Torture Scene, Wartime Romance, World War II, based on Bésame Mucho by George deValier, basically earth in the late 1930s to the early 1940s but the third reich wasnt twelve years, before during and after wartime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-16
Updated: 2016-11-27
Packaged: 2018-04-21 01:50:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 77,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4810343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deep_doot/pseuds/deep_doot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Finding that one person who wants to spend a day, an afternoon, or even five minutes with is one who will want to stay with you forever. <br/>(check first note for sources)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> _Mon Dieu_ \- An alternate WWII universe based on **Bésame Mucho by George deValier**  
>  ( https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7241283/1/B%C3%A9same-Mucho )
> 
> _  
> Title Song - ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0oMQu2id6I )

_“Aqua! Hang on!” ___

__The blue haired girl turned back, expecting to see her little brother Ventus running behind her. But he wasn’t. It was a younger and smaller child. Their eyes bright, but their chest was rising and falling from a weak breath. The young boy caught up to her, smiling as he met to her front._ _

__This wasn’t her younger brother at all. It was one of her students, the youngest she had ever taught to be exact. The little boy had messy brown hair and a cheerful demeanor. His eyes were a deep blue and he always managed to smile. The boy’s name was Sora Herz, and he was such a great student, and he was loyal to his friends. His parents worked in the city and were usually busy, so Aqua became his private tutor. He was only about seven years old, and his positive outlook was something that was lacking in the city of Hamburg._ _

__Aqua smiled, brushing the boy's hair from his eyes. "I'm sorry, Sora. I didn't mean to be going so fast." she met his eyes, gently pinching the tip of his nose. "I do not want you to be falling behind, or be the _utolsó_." _ _

__Sora cocked his head, trying to figure out what she had said. "Aquaaaa, I don't know what that means!"_ _

__"In my home language, it means the last one. I'm sorry if I had confused you..." The girl looked up at the slowly setting sun down upon the cityside. "We should be getting you home, actually. It's nearly sunset!"_ _

__The boy smiled once again, nodding. "I can't wait to go home and see _mutti and vati_. I'm excited to tell them about our lesson about frogs today!" he excitedly pulled her hand towards the city to go home. _ _

__Aqua giggled, trying to hide her exhaustion from the day. "Do you have your bag?" she stood up sighing a little._ _

__"Uh-huh! Got it right here!"_ _

__She gently squeezed his hand. "Then let's take you home now."_ _

__As they started off for the city, Aqua started to think about if she could remember any trace of her own mother and father. She often caught herself getting lost in thought about the subject often, as she was getting older and started to realize how things could have been. Her name was Aqua Bűvész, a Hungarian orphan who was left in the vast city of Hamburg at the age of eight. She had no memory of her parents, but she knew her entire home language. It was almost impossible to think that it was only ten years ago..._ _

__Her adoptive father, Eraqus Meister, was a caring but strict man. He was born and raised in the German countryside, later moving to Hamburg to pursue a military occupation. After serving in the Great War, the man had come to have a noble reputation in Europe. He had since given his oath to return to the battle front, but debated actually returning, if another war was to rise, since his best friend had been killed by the opposing side. It wasn’t easy leaving his friend to retreat, but he had to focus on ending the war. He had become somewhat bitter at the subject of war, as it brought back nothing but sour memories._ _

__Eraqus was much more pleasant when the topic wasn’t risen in conversation. He changed most of his lifestyle to try and raise Aqua in the best environment possible, and his home in Hamburg seemed to be the best. The man tutored Aqua and taught her the German language and made her feel as comfortable as he could. He was often asked about her hair, as it was rather odd._ _

__The beautiful shade of blue was quite strange for a normal human to have, and many thought it was a wig, but it was not. She had tests done, and she was seen by many doctors in the entire country, and it had come to be known as a genetic mutation that spawned the blue on her head. Her eyes were almost the same shade, but they were lighter. No single woman could possibly match up to her uniqueness, or charm that she radiated._ _

__“Aqua!”_ _

__She returned back the present, and stopped reminiscing on the past. It had come to her attention that Sora was calling for her, but she almost didn’t realize. “What is it, Sora?” she asked, keeping on her way for the area that the young boy lived in._ _

__Sora pointed to a black car with windows also darkened, as it drove past them while they were entering the city it gave off an ominous and demented glow. The young boy knew there was something fishy about the car, and the thought had only crossed her own. She made sure that they crossed each street with caution and she kept an eye open for any other suspicious vehicles like the one they saw._ _

__Aqua eventually made it to the young boy’s home, waiting for his mother to usually greet them at the door and thank her for her work for the day. She was given her weekly salary of 24 Reichsmark and was to be on her way. But before she left, Sora’s mother had stopped her, looking at her with weary eyes._ _

__“We’re ending your services, Aqua. We’ve decided that little Sora is to be attending the new school in two weeks time.” the woman said, her eyes unable to move from the wooden panels of her porch. “I’m sorry for the short notice… but it seems that we just can’t send you off with our son.”_ _

__“I don’t understand!” Aqua almost stuttered. “Sora was my last student, since both Kairi and Riku left for the _Privatschule_ as well, you knew that-” _ _

__Sora’s mother nodded, putting her finger to the girl’s lips, understanding all too well. “I’m sorry, my dear. We just can’t risk it. Here-” she handed Aqua a 5 Reichsmark coin, folding her hand over it. “You’ll know when the time comes. _Abschied_ .” And the door was closed on her._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation Notes & Author Note:  
> Herz - literally translates to "heart" in German! (thank you german dictionary)  
> utolsó - Hungarian word for "the last one" (as explained by Aqua)  
> mutti and vati - German for mother and father  
> Bűvész - Hungarian for magician, illusionist, or conjurer.  
> Meister - literally "Master" in German (quite fitting if I do say so myself)  
> Privatschule - "private school" in German  
> Reichsmark was the currency in Nazi Germany from 1924 to 1948  
> __  
> AN: Thank you so much for reading!!! I had just picked Bésame Mucho after years of waiting to read it... and it was absolutely amazing (unfortunately it is probably never going to update ever again, but thank you george anyway!!) and I have to read Auf Wiedersehen Sweetheart and Lily of the Lamplight next. BUT REGARDLESS, thank you so much for reading, and I hope to see you in the next chapter!!!


	2. Chapter 2

Aqua shook her head, unable to believe that she was just fired from her job. She stuffed her pay into her purse and ran home, feeling anger bubble up inside of her. She ran over the curriculum that she was teaching her pupils in her mind, and all of it was correct and authorized by the German government for her to teach. Was it her age? She might have been only eighteen years old, but she was one hell of a tutor! 

As she reached the street of her address, an unfamiliar car was parked in the street, and she looked inside as she went to her porch. Aqua unlocked her door, and came in to a man talking to Eraqus, both turning to her as she entered. 

The man was tall, muscular and had a tan complexion with brown hair. His eyes were as blue as the sea, and almost sparkled with the shine of the ocean as well. He was handsome, and once Aqua laid eyes on him, her heart skipped a beat. Her mind completely running blank of what she was to say, and she felt him staring at her. It was like a spark running through her. Each time she met his eyes, she was shocked...

“Ah, Aqua!” Eraqus came to her, wrapping her up in a hug. He pulled away after almost a second, smiling. “How was your day?” 

She really didn’t want to say how her day was in front of this stranger, she just returned his greeting and tried to spit something out. “Who is your friend, papa?” Aqua tried to not make eye contact with him again, as her heart jumped each time. What was this feeling?!

Eraqus turned back to the tall man, a warm chuckle leaving his throat. “This is my friend Terra Erde. He came by, since he was in town.” 

Terra watched her, almost unknowingly staring at her hair. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, _Fräulein_.” He reached over, kissing the top of her hand for a greeting. He also carried an accent, one that Aqua was unbeknownst to. It certainly wasn’t German or Hungarian. Perhaps he was from Spain? Or Italy? 

“As is yours, Mr. Erde.” The tension was getting to her. She wanted to slip out, but she was curious to where he was from. Aqua’s eyes gravitated back to him, observing each detail about him before she asked. “Where are you from? Your accent, it’s... unfamiliar to me.” 

It wasn’t his German, that was good… too good. But it carried a strange wave of something with it, and it fascinated her. He must have been studying for years to get this good at masking an accent. 

“My mother moved me and my brother here from our home in Turkey. She found a husband and we’ve been here since I was six or seven… but my brother and father both died in an accident.” 

Aqua felt bad for asking. She just stood there, biting her lip. “I’m sorry to hear that, I apologize if I-”

“Aqua, why don’t you go and start dinner. I had some groceries delivered earlier today.” Eraqus interrupted, his lips tightly together. “We’ll have whatever you make.” 

She nodded, ripping her gaze once again from Terra. “Alright. I’ll be in the kitchen.” 

“We’ll be in the parlor speaking. Close the doors into the kitchen.” 

Aqua walked past them, entering the kitchen. She immediately closed the doors to the parlor room, hooking the two sliding doors together to make sure they wouldn’t move. Curiosity rose again in her stomach, as it couldn’t have been a coincidence for an old acquaintance to show up out of the blue. As soon as she heard them close the other doors to the parlor, the girl grabbed a glass from the cupboard, placing it to the door. Eavesdropping was something she shouldn’t be doing, since she knew that Eraqus would find out, but her curiosity got the best of her. 

“...Have you seen the cars patrolling at night?…” 

“Yes, I’ve seen them more than enough in the past week. It’s disconcerting, to say the least.” Eraqus’ facade had dropped immediately from their greeting. He sounded completely drained. 

Terra sighed. “It’s much worse in Munich, my friend. Adolf Hitler has assumed control there, and he is soon to become Chancellor....” he paused for more than a moment. The deadpan silence was more than she could handle. 

“I’ve heard from a few of my colleagues that his plans for the future are not for peace. He want’s to make a master race... The Aryan race... “ 

Something left Eraqus’ throat, but it wasn’t pleasant. “But Hitler has improved most of the depression, what could have demented him to do that?!” 

“I don’t know, Eraqus. It won’t be safe. It won’t be safe for you or Aqua. Keep yourselves low. If they try to recruit you, do not go.” 

Silence rose up again in the room, and neither of the men spoke for a good two minutes. The information that she absorbed from their conversation was more than Aqua was expecting. Her heart pounded, her head ached… What was going to happen to them?!

“Can you help us move to _Frankreich_? Or somewhere where we won’t be persecuted?” Eraqus asked, his voice completely wiped of emotion. “I can’t keep Aqua here without them finding us. She’ll be taken…” 

“Don’t worry right now.” Terra snapped. “I’ll see where I can move you, but it won’t be out of Europe. I’ll make sure no one hurts you, or Aqua, or even Ventus in London. You’ll be safe.” 

“It’s too early to be losing yourself to this yet. But I guarantee that I’ll have you out before the patrols start. You can trust me.” 

Aqua pulled away from the door, her mind completely gone. Another war was coming. She knew once the patrolmen see her they would take her.. but where?! Nothing made sense! Her back sank against the wall, wanting to slide down and hide from the world. She was glad Ventus was off studying in London, he was safer than her and her father, but for how long? It could be any day that the patrolmen would be knocking on her door and asking her to step out and go with them. So many questions filled her mind that she felt the bile rising in her stomach, wanting to vomit… but she couldn’t. The last of her composure that wasn’t taken from her had to be used in full. Eraqus can’t know that she was listening in to their conversation. She can’t give up the secrets she now knew away. She had to be strong, she couldn’t let any of this slip through her fingers. 

Aqua choked back any of the tears that she thought might fall. She stood up, resting the glass on the countertop. “.. _Isten segítsen minket_... “ she whispered ever so softly, almost coming from her throat in a breath rather than words. 

The girl instead cleared her mind (to the best of her ability) and began to focus on dinner. It wasn’t too hard, just losing herself in the wonderful smells of the pork and stewed vegetables. She wasn’t bothered one bit, until a half hour passed, then she was accompanied by her guest. 

“Your father went upstairs for a call,” Terra said, entering the kitchen. He glanced around the kitchen, noticing how Aqua jumped almost a foot when he just suddenly came in. “Are you alright?”

Aqua whipped her head around, so quickly in fact that Terra thought it was going to fall off. “Oh! It’s just you…” she still didn’t know what to say, and her heart started pounding even after she thought she was over it. “I’m fine, just… just a little jumpy.” she awkwardly laughed. 

The man’s brow lowered. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost or something. I also didn’t take you for that kind of person.” he walked over towards the icebox, observing the jar on top of it. 

The jar was full of crumpled up Reichsmark bills, along with coins. It was almost filled to the top, but it still looked like there was some way until it was to the brim. The jar interested Terra, and he glanced back at Aqua, who had turned back to her duty. 

“What are you saving up for?” 

Aqua turned halfway, noticing her jar of money. “I’m saving up for a grand piano. I used to play the piano when I was little, but I let Ven take the upright piano with him to school. It’s in his apartment there.” 

Terra walked over to her side, looking over the things she was cooking. “Did you like it?” 

“My piano?” Aqua was trying to contain her feelings, but that just made her face bloom up red. 

“Yeah.” 

She nodded, smiling a bit. “I loved playing the piano… I’ve been borrowing the upright at the theater to practice.” 

Another few moments passed by, the soft sound of rain starting to hit the window above the sink. This feeling of infatuation wouldn't leave the girl's mind, and her heart wouldn't stop pounding as long as he was in the same room as her. Her mind ran with dozens upon dozens of uncanny explanations of what the feeling could be of. Terra Erde was incredibly handsome, his eyes gleamed, his hair stunning... Every feature about him was amazing... 

"Do you play an instrument, Mr. Erde?" Aqua asked, getting lost once again in his eyes. 

He was staring at her, and she immediately flushed, hiding her face from him again. She couldn't be... was she falling in love? 

"Please, call me Terra. I'd prefer if you would." His voice was smooth. "As for instruments?" he paused. 

In the momentary paused between his sentences, the rain began to get heavier and heavier outside. Almost like the world was  
mourning, but there was nothing to mourn for... at least in Aqua's ignorance that she created. 

"My mother made me take up the violin when I was ten." Terra laughed, a gentle smile curling to his lips. "I can't even remember one _kahrolası_ thing!" He glanced at her, noting her confused expression. 

"Pardon?" Aqua asked, her brow raised. "Did you just speak Turkish?" 

He nodded, his smile thinning a bit. "My mother prefers to speak to me that way, and I just eventually became fluent in it." His eyes flicked out the window, then back down to meet Aqua's. "She knew not a word of German when she came here. It was good that her future husband did. A little, but just enough to speak in small conversation with her." 

Aqua was fascinated how he was so capable of reminiscing on the past. She still never knew who her parents were, but they were probably much happier without her. It became too often that she was forcing herself to exert the energy and struggle to remember anything. 

"Do you remember anything about your parents, Aqua?" 

That question was bound to come flying in one day or another. She just wasn't ready for it. 

Aqua shook her head. "Papa thinks I have a wave of amnesia, but I'm not so sure. Why would they just..." She trailed off, gritting her teeth. Her hand was wrapped around the potato and knife she was holding, that her knuckles were whitening. "Why would they just leave me there?" 

Terra's eyes ran from her, feeling guilt rise up in his chest for asking. He noticed her shaking grasp around the things in her hands. Carefully he took a step back. "I'm sorry for asking. I should've known not to say anything." 

She shook her head again, this time her neck was stiff and looked almost painful to try. "Nem...- I-I mean no. It's alright." Aqua cleared her throat, preventing herself to break into a choked up mess. "You did nothing wrong, Terra." She turned to him, giving him a bittersweet smile. 

The Turk said nothing in return. She was far too kind, and it almost aggravated him how sweet she was. He tried to not let it bother him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation notes and AN:  
> Erde - translates from German; literally meaning earth. (so terras name is earth earth)  
> Frankreich - translates from German; meaning the country of France  
> Isten segítsen minket - translates from Hungarian; means "God help us."  
> kahrolası - translates from Turkish; meaning "Goddamn"
> 
> AN: So heres the actual first chapter!! I'm planning to write these in short intervals which means shorter chapters, but in return means more chapters. I'm shooting for approximately 1,500- 2,500 words per chapter! BUT ANYWAY!!! Thanks so much for reading!!!


	3. Chapter 3

It was soon past nine when Terra eventually left for that night, promising to come back and see them everyday. And he didn't let up on his promise. He returned the next day, bringing more information to Eraqus, while Aqua listened in from the kitchen. 

Things were getting worse every other day. The news of the fascists setting up in Berlin, and that they were soon to come and occupy her town Hamburg. The Turk was also handing out options to move them to Denmark, while France was still rather far away from where they were. 

Eraqus remained skeptical about the news that he was hearing of, but he knew it wasn't going to be safe if they kept themselves in Hamburg. 

After they would talk, and Aqua got exhausted from listening to the terrible news, Eraqus would retreat up to his office for a good portion of the afternoon, while Aqua would escape into town and practice the piano at the theater. No one seemed to mind while she played in the empty storage room. it was just her and the relaxing tones of her piano. Sometimes she harmonized with the piano, and she sang, but most of the time she didn't. She just got lost in the tune. 

When it was time for her to head home after practicing for a good three hours, she would stop by the sweets shop on her way home. Almost a week after Terra's visits began, on her way from the bakery, she happened to notice Terra across the street speaking with some other women, and she felt her heart flicker with a warm flame for a moment. Was she jealous?!

Terra looked up from his conversation, noticing Aqua standing across the street. He locked eyes with her for a moment before she just waved and started off to her home again. Some small part of him wished that she would've just asked him to come over and they could walk home together, but she didn't and he was disappointed. They _were_ almost friends.

The blue girl kept walking off from his scene, trying to extinguish the anger that supposedly built up inside of her heart. This was something that was going to happen. They aren't lovers, so it shouldn't make her so upset. She just... _Was._

"Aqua!" 

She turned halfway, noticing Terra walking up to her. Inside she might have been burning, but she tried not to show it by smiling as he met to her side. God, she had to calm down. 

"Oh, hello Terra!" Aqua attempted to channel her jealousy into the grip on her basket full of her possessions, and also the goods from the bakery. "I was just on my way home." 

Terra ran his hand through his hair, returning her smile. "Would you like me to walk you home? We are only a few blocks from it."

The azure girl brushed her long hair to the side, rolling her eyes in thought. Something deep down was yelling at her to accept his offer, while another half contemplated just leaving him with the girls that he was clearly flirting with just moments ago. She wanted to deny that her heart danced with warmth and butterflies each time she saw him. He couldn’t have the same feeling each time that he saw her… she was just being foolish. 

“I guess so.” Aqua pursed her lips, her eyes leaving his own gaze. “But don’t get any ideas, Mr. Erde.” she smiled a little bit. 

 

“Yeah, and then it would be the death of me. Eraqus would kill me if he ever found me doing anything to you.” Terra stuffed his hands in his pockets, starting off in the direction of Aqua’s home. “Eraqus is a good man, but he would do anything for you and Ventus.” 

The girl nodded, meeting up to his side. She held her basket with both hands, shyly holding it in front of her as she walked. “I love papa, and I know he loves me. He can be a little trying at times, but we manage to pull through everyday.” Her eyes wandered ahead, making sure she wouldn’t start staring at Terra. 

Terra didn’t bother to start up another conversation, and they just walked in silence. He had taken notice of men in black uniforms exiting from a car, then entering the town hall. His eyes widened, and he stepped closer to Aqua, their arms touching. Aqua immediately noticed, feeling heat rise up in her cheeks again. 

With the tension built up, and the identification of fascists, and the gestapo already in the city, Terra remained on the edge. Nothing began to phase him, and it got to the point where he was making involuntary movements. Almost like he was on a track wired to go to Aqua’s home. Sounds didn’t hit him immediately. It was like listening through a brick wall.

 _“Terra?”_ Aqua had stopped, noticing his quick change in behavior. She took a glance around, looking for any type of trigger that might have caused his strange moment. Nothing seemed out of place.. She reached for his arm, taking it in her hand. “Terra, are you alright?” 

He shook his head, looking down at the mess of blue hair next to him. His eyes refocusing on the face under the hair. “I’m sorry did I,” he blinked a few times, trying to get a handle of the situation. Was he really this paranoid? “Sorry, I got distracted.” 

"Okay, I was worried." She smiled, loosening the tight grip on her basket. "I'm happy that you're okay." Her gaze left him again, focusing her eyes on the sidewalk. 

"Don't worry about me, Aqua. I won't let anything happen to you. That’s what friends do, right?” 

Aqua flicked her gaze back up to him, feeling something muster back up in her. It was almost a mix between anxiety and that fluttering feeling of infatuation. “Of course.” she gulped. “I won’t let anything happen to you either.” Something felt like it was keeping her from continuing. “We are friends, and that’s what friends do…”

She couldn’t help but feel the littlest bit disappointed. But then again, it was only the second day that he was around, and she had to hope that it wasn’t love at first sight. The idea never phased her, and she didn’t see too much into it either. Only little girls believed in that foolish idea. She was almost begging to herself that it wasn’t love at first sight, yet the smallest part of her wished that it was. 

They ended the route to her home, and they retreated back inside. The doors to the parlor were wide open, and there were two men in grey uniforms talking to Eraqus. They had to have been part of the Fascist military, as Terra could recognize their uniforms right away. Probably looking for Eraqus’ strength in war. The men said nothing to Terra or Aqua, but merely just gave a quick nod of the head to observe their presence. 

Aqua had no idea who they were, but she smiled back, as she thought they would do no harm. She was taken by the wrist and lured into the kitchen, and then back outside into the small garden at the back of the house with Terra leading her there. She had managed to set her basket down in the kitchen before getting whisked outside. 

Terra let go of her wrist, noticing how tightly he was holding on. “I’m sorry, but it’s probably not the best time to be in the house right now.” he glanced back into the house through the kitchen window, almost glaring through it. He didn’t dare say a word of who those men were, or what they were doing, but he just forced his gaze back outside. 

“I didn’t see any harm while I was in there, and I’m sure neither did you.” Aqua huffed, pulling her thick mess of hair out of her face. “They were probably just talking with papa about something that had come up. It couldn’t have been so bad.” 

He said nothing back to her, unknowingly resting a hand on her shoulder. His eyes fixed back into the house, struggling to not worry about what was possibly going on inside. Terra tried to think of something to cover the distressing topic that was flooding his mind. He squeezed his eyes shut, a forced smiled appearing on his lips. 

The azure girl watched him carefully, trying to read between the lines and possibly assume what he was thinking about. “You’re acting funny again,” she pulled his hand off of her shoulder, holding it gently in her hands. Aqua led him over to a stone bench next to a patch of chamomile plants. She sat down, leaving enough room for him to join her. 

He sat down next to her, glancing around the garden around him. There was a massive willow tree in the center of the garden. It's long branches were almost protecting the flora underneath. There were several patches of chamomile plants, along with some Edelweiss flowers and Fuchsia shrubs as well. He didn't take much notice of the plants when he first hurried outside, he just wanted to get out of the house. 

"Here," 

Terra turned back to Aqua, and she held a small flower from one of the Fuchsia plants in her hand. She was handing it to him, a soft smile on her lips. "I thought you would like this." she said, her eyes meeting to his. 

He didn't know what to say at first, and he just took the flower, resting it in the palm of his hand. "Thank you." 

"This is one of my favorite places to be. It's so peaceful out here in the summertime when all of the plants are bloomed." Aqua closed her eyes, listening to the wind carry the branches of the silver willow. It really was peaceful...

Terra tried clearing his mind of everything, and it was working a bit. He closed his eyes and heard the breeze rustle the plants against each other. His eyes wandered from the house back down to the flower in his hand. 

“I’m amazed at how carefree you are.” he turned to her, observing her almost crystal blue eyes. They stood out from the mess of navy and cerulean atop of her head. It almost stunned him how unique she was. 

Aqua shrugged, her cheeks flushing a bit. “What else could I be?” she smiled, resting her hands over her lap. Something overcame her in emotion, wiping her smile away. “I want to be strong like papa… but there isn’t much that a woman could do nowadays.” 

Terra shook his head, looking back out to the plants in front of himself. “You might not understand now, but you’re stronger than anyone I know.” 

“How?”

He took a moment before answering her, refusing to say the first thing that came to his mind. “You’ve overcome so much. More than most can bear. Yet you still seem to keep a cheerful smile and brilliant enthusiasm going.” 

Aqua smiled at his compliment. “I just want people to have hope.” she pulled a strand of her hair behind her ear. “There so little of it these days.” 

Terra grinned, nodding. “You can be the Queen of Peace, Aqua. And you could help everyone, even those who are lost.” 

She could feel her cheeks burning up at each of his compliments, and she glanced away from him, hoping he didn’t see her embarrassing blush. 

“Thank you, Terra. You’re so kind.” 

“Not a problem. It’s always good to compliment those who you admire.” Terra turned back to the sky above, still holding the Fuchsia flower in his hand. 

\- 

As soon as they returned back inside, not much else had happened for that night. Eraqus mentioned nothing at dinner, and Terra left at nine o’clock again. Neither of the men seemed to have the drive to discuss anything from the fascist’s who visited. Aqua and her father retreated to their rooms upstairs and readied themselves for the days ahead. 

Once Aqua entered her room, she felt overtaken in feelings. She shut her door, and sat down on her bed. A goofy smile reached from eye to eye on her lips, and she couldn’t shake the feelings that she had inside. 

The girl eventually got ready to sleep, slipping into her nightgown and under her blankets and sheets on her bed. As she was drifting off into the realm of dreams, she hoped that she would be able to see Terra again. Whether it be tomorrow or the next day, she just begged that it was soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I wanted to clarify some things for you dears.  
> As George made it in Bésame Mucho, there is an age gap between our two lovebirds. I had planned for Terra to be about 23ish and Aqua was going to be 18. There might be some changes here and there, but don't exactly plan on it!! Also Aqua has long, thick, messy hair. I envisioned it to be like Meridia's hair (Brave) but with less curl and more density. (I have a lot of ideas ok?)
> 
> Things are going to be kicking off soon. Within the next chapter or so, things will be getting salty. So put away your saltshakers because I'm adding all of the seasoning. 
> 
> ANYWAY THOUGH. Thanks so much for reading, and I hope to see you soon! <3


	4. Chapter 4

Aqua woke up with the sounds of sirens running past her window. The sun was just rising on the horizon and the dim light ran onto her floors. Lights were also on in the hallway outside her bedroom door, and they shone like the sun from under the door. 

She sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. A yawn left her throat, and she pulled the blankets off of herself. She turned her bedside lamp on and hazily looked into her vanity mirror across from her bed. 

Someone outside of her door was talking, their voice a rushed whisper. Aqua couldn’t tell what they were saying, but it sounded bad. She threw her legs over her bed, feet gently touching the floor, and hoping that the panels wouldn’t squeak like they always would. She stepped lightly to the door, pulling on her robe that rested on her dresser. 

The voices grew louder, Aqua only able to get bits and pieces of the conversation through the door. 

“..What in god’s name were the fascists doing here, Eraqus? You know how dangerous that is for all of us!” 

It was Terra! Why was he here this early in the morning? It must've been paramount that he came here. The two men had barely said a word to each other after the uniformed militants were here earlier the day before. But they looked harmless!! Aqua had seen men like them in old pictures from Eraqus’ war days. Did they really change?

She leaned back against the door, listening in again. 

“Terra, I had no other choice.” Eraqus sounded exhausted. “We were all lucky that they didn’t recognize you.” 

Terra said nothing in return. It sounded like he had walked to another place in the hallway. 

“You’re a dangerous man, Mr. Erde. If it wasn’t for my trust in you, I wouldn’t have you even be near my daughter. She doesn’t need to be involved in this.” 

“But she already is involved. She’s been a part of this since the beginning.” Terra growled. “You asked me to protect what mattered most to you. I’m doing that-” 

Eraqus scoffed. “I can protect her myself. You’re a stranger to her, nothing but a man who comes by each day to warn me about what those damn fascists want. You’re an informant. Not her bodyguard, or guardian angel.” 

The hallway went silent. Not a word was spoken for a good two minutes before someone moved again in the hallway. Aqua was covering her mouth with both of her hands, terrified by everything she had heard. Terra was too kind… He couldn’t be as dangerous as her father was describing. 

“She told me she wanted to be stronger.” Terra said, his voice low. 

Aqua was shaking her head. 

“What in God’s name are you talking about?” 

Terra sighed. “She told me yesterday. While we were outside together. She wants to be stronger and help you.” 

“I think you need some rest.” Eraqus must have moved off to his bedroom doorway, as there was more floorboards squeaking. “Do what you want. Stay here or go off to your place in town.” And then a door was shut. 

Aqua hurried over to her bed, pulling her robe off and tossing it to her vanity stool. She tried to make it look like she was exhausted, yawning loudly, like she wanted someone to hear her, as she stretched getting off of her mattress. 

She groaned, pulling her robe back on, hoping it sounded like she had just woken up. Her fingers fumbled around to tie her robe together. The girl stepped back in front of her door, turning the handle, and rubbing her eyes again. She noticed Terra just at the bottom of the stairs, his gaze meeting hers for the split second before he turned into the parlor. 

Aqua hurried down the stairs after him, almost tripping on her nightgown and robe. She made a sharp turn into the parlor on her heel. 

“You’re up early.” Terra grinned, slumping down on the loveseat in the room. He stretched his arms, resting them on the back of the sofa. 

The blue girl crossed her arms, returning his smile. She assumed she looked like a mess. Her hair was probably everywhere, and she already looked exhausted, although she slept like a rock. “You’re here early.” she responded, stepping into the room, sitting across from him. 

“I had to talk to your father about some things. That’s all.” he tore his gaze from her, trying to make it as discreet as possible. “Your hair looks nice this morning.” 

Aqua laughed. “No, it's not. It’s a mess.” she smiled. “But thank you for the compliment.” 

“Of course.” 

This time Aqua was able to get a good look of what he looked like. His hair was also a mess, and it was constantly being pushed back out of the way by him. His eyes were tired, and so was his body. He didn’t sleep that night…

“You didn’t sleep.” she breathed, her eyes trailing away from him. “I can see it in your eyes.” 

Terra shook his head, turning his head from her. He smiled, running his hand down his face. “No, I didn’t. You certainly did, though. Your eyes have a nice shine to them today.” 

Aqua felt her face heat up, and she immediately wanted to change the subject. “Do y-you want something to drink? I can make you breakfast, I mean, if you’d like me to.” 

Their eyes met for another second, before Aqua pulled her gaze from him. Terra stood from his place on the loveseat, yawning a bit. She just only noticed how tall he was compared to her. He had to have been more than six foot! 

“What are you gonna make? I can help if you want.” Terra offered, going right for the kitchen and leaving Aqua behind. 

“Nonsense, you’re my guest. I’ll brew some coffee for you, and you can entrance yourself in something as I cook. _Jól van?”_ Aqua pursed her lips, stepping in front of him while she pulled an apron over her head.

Terra stood still for a second, giving her a grin. “Was that Hungarian?” 

“Yes.” 

He nodded, sitting at the kitchen table, resting his head against the wall. “You should teach me Hungarian. It sounds like a beautiful language.” 

Aqua turned, filling a pot with coffee grounds. Behind her back, she blushed, hiding a smile from him. “It’s similar to German in some ways. That’s probably how I caught on. But German was much more difficult.” 

“It’s settled. I’ll teach you Turkish, and you’ll teach me Hungarian.” 

The smile on Aqua’s lips got wider. “That’ll be fun, I’m sure.” 

_

The day carried on as if Terra and Eraqus didn’t have an argument at six thirty in the morning. Aqua scurried off to her piano practices before the day was almost over. She left the house after three, but she managed to stay at the theater longer than she wanted to. 

It was already dark by the time she left, and she was trying to be as cautious as possible. As she was walking home, there were men in the grey uniforms patrolling on foot, and they just glanced at Aqua before walking away. The fear in her chest skyrocketed, and she was afraid of getting taken by them. 

She picked up the pace, tightening the grip on her basket. The maintown pub’s lights were shining out through the windows, men and women alike sitting out on the patio and enjoying beer and food. It was just a normal Thursday evening for them, but to Aqua it was another day trying to act like them. The facade she made was getting harder and harder to keep up with, and the fear of her father finding out terrified her. 

Aqua was getting further from the brighter glow of the inner city, the streetlights being the only thing lighting her path as she walked on. She was close to her home, when she could actually see it where she was standing. Relief fluttered into her heart, and she could almost feel the warmth of her house around her.

_“Hör auf! Genau da!”_

The girl froze in her steps, the relief flooding out of her heart. She turned around to find a man wearing a fascist uniform standing behind her, his arms crossed over his chest, and his brow low. Aqua almost wanted to scream, but she had to remain calm. She just had to find the patience she had made. 

“What are you doing out here in the night?” the man stepped up closer to her, his blue eyes lit up in the artificial light. 

Aqua took a deep breath. “I am returning home from my practices at the theater.” she raised her head, looking right at the man. “You gave me quite the scare, officer.” 

“As most of you are these days.” he scoffed, the German rolling right off of his tongue. “Women shouldn’t be alone during the night. Things could happen.” 

“I understand that, sir.” 

“Show me your identification papers.” The man extended a gloved hand, his eyes wandering up and down her form. 

Aqua reached inside her basket, pulling out the small booklet. She handed it to him gently, almost jumping when he snatched it away. She then lowered her hand, glancing back to her house. 

The fascist officer laughed, observing her papers. “You’re Lieutenant Eraqus’ daughter? The mutated _bozgor_ girl?” he continued to laugh. “I’ll have some stories to tell the men back at base.” 

The girl felt her face heat up at the slur. She wanted to hide behind her hair, or just fade away completely. “May I go home, officer? I have to… to cook dinner.” she was at a loss for words. 

He threw her papers back at her, a cocky smile still on his cheeks. “You could just come back with me.” His tone changed. “You are what we’re looking for. A woman of your… figure.” 

Aqua’s heart dropped through the floor. She didn’t want to go with him. She wanted to go home and forget this happened. “I don’t think my father would want this. I should be going now.” Her hand fumbled around with her identification booklet, safely resting it back in her basket. “I’m sorry for being such an inconvenience.” 

“That’s no way to act towards a man. Hasn’t the Lieutenant taught you pathetic thing anything?” the man took another step in her direction, followed by another. “You should respect the men around you! You would be nothing without us.” 

Fear bubbled up in her chest, this was it. This was the end. 

“Aqua! There you are!” 

Hands rested on her shoulders, they were warm and gentle. Aqua looked over her shoulder, noticing Terra standing behind her, a smile on his lips. “You shouldn’t have been out so late. I was beginning to worry about you!” 

A weight was immediately lifted off of her shoulders when she saw Terra’s eyes. Her mind was still a jumbled mess and she was filled to the brim with anxiety. “You’re here,” she breathed. 

“Who are you?” the fascist asked, his brow lowered again. 

“I’m a friend of Eraqus’. I’m here to get Aqua.” Terra shot back. That was a deadly move. “Now, if you don’t mind, _offizier_ , we have to be going.” 

The officer grit his teeth, turning from them. “As you were.” he growled, leaving from them. 

Aqua finally breathed again, almost ready to break into a shaking fit. Terra took her hand, squeezing it tightly as he leaned close to her ear. “We’ll talk when we get home.” he sounded stern, but gentle. 

She did nothing but nod and follow him home like a dog. Her eyes welled with tears, but she forced herself to not break down. For the first time, in what felt like forever, Aqua was genuinely starting to worry if she could keep her facade up. From everyone’s perspective, she was unbeknownst to everything that was happening. 

Terra pulled her in the front door, twirling around to shut the door after her. Once the front door was closed, he breathed a sigh of relief. He turned back to her, still holding onto her hand. His eyes met hers, but he didn’t say a word for another good second. He looked tired. 

“Are you alright, Aqua?” he stepped up, taking the basket from her shaken hands and set it on the floor. “I’m sorry that had to happen.” 

Aqua shook her head, wiping her eyes dry of tears. “No… It’s not your fault, I shouldn’t have stayed out late. I just wasn’t expecting it to happen. I’m the one who should be apologizing.” She looked down, hiding under her hair. 

“Those men, Aqua, aren’t... “ he stopped. “You should be turning in for the night.” Terra turned his head from her. “Forget I even said anything okay? You have more important things to be thinking about.” he smiled. 

She was disappointed that he said nothing more of the matter, her eyes locked on the floor. Her heart begged for someone to talk to her about the fascists, and her safety, and and and- The list just went on and on. 

Terra shook his head. “I almost forgot!” he let go of her hand, walking off into the parlor. “I picked something up for you today, when you were out!” 

Out of sheer curiosity, Aqua perked up, following him into the room. She watched him grab something off the coffee table’s edge, turning back to her. He looked euphoric, his hands covering the small gift. 

“They’re these things called barrettes,” he handed the accessories to her, pointing to the drawn woman on the packaging. “You put them in your hair to keep it out of your eyes.” 

Aqua already knew what the metal snaps were, but she remained polite and listened to him anyway. She returned his smile. “Thank you, Terra…” she was at a loss for words, and she knew deep down that she had to lead that up with something. “I love them.” 

That made him look even happier, and it was the first time that she had seen him like this. 

“Here, let me help you-” Terra snapped one of the barrettes from the packaging, holding it in his hand. He brushed a portion of her hair aside, clipping the accessory to her hair. Now her eyes were more visible, their crystally blue shining in the light. 

“There. You’ll be able to see your eyes now.” He was proud of his handiwork, smiling still. “I always thought your eyes were nice.” 

Aqua didn’t know how to feel. She turned to gaze into the mirror on the wall, a sheepish smile forming on her lips in embarrassment. Bright red blush spread on her cheeks, and she laughed. 

“Thank you, so much.” she faced Terra again. “I’ll be sure to wear them.” 

Terra nodded, brushing a loose hair from her eyes. “Your face is red like a strawberry!” He started to laugh. 

That comment made Aqua blush even harder. “I do not!” she looked into the mirror again, unable to help but smile from his cheery laughter. She started to laugh as well. 

“Honestly, Aqua! You do!” 

It was the first time in a while that Aqua laughed that hard. Probably as long since Ven was still in the house before leaving for his studies in London, England. She felt safe again. She felt loved... loved like a precious gem. 

-

They spent the remainder of the night teaching each other various words in the home languages. They ate dinner while Eraqus was still out for the night, and then Aqua retired for bed. She didn’t know what time her father returned from home, and she didn’t know how late Terra had stayed. 

All she could know was the feeling of love in her heart. She was in love, and she couldn’t deny it. The barrettes laid on her vanity table, all but the one that Terra put in her hair. That one remained on her bedside table, so she could drift off to sleep while fantastic dreams lured her there. 

It was going to be a long time until she slept the same again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations and AN:  
> Jól van? - Hungarian for "Well?" or "Alright?"  
> “Hör auf! Genau da!” - German for "Stop! Right there!"  
> Bozgor - a very hurtful slur for people of Hungarian or slavic descent who were living in other countries after WWI :( (used mostly in Eastern Europe)  
> offizier - german for officer
> 
> AN: Whoot! Some cutes were in this! I had never actually written Terra as this cheerful before, but now i have, and you cannot deny that he would do that! Terra is such a cutie :3c  
> BUT things will be kicking off in the next chapter, and it's not going to be good. It's gonna be sooooooo bad and spicey that you'll need something to cool off with. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and I'll see you in the next chapter!! <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Friends of Aqua’s were no longer around in town, and she asked about them, wondering where they had gone. It was the same answer by every other man or woman she asked. _“I’ve heard they’ve gone out of town. They’ve moved!”_ But it didn’t feel right to Aqua. They wouldn’t just move out like that. Their homes remained the same like they had been abducted.
> 
> She tried to ignore it all, but it was hard. Almost impossible. But she had to keep going.

**Fall 1939**

All the same manners carried on from day to day, nothing changing but the information brought by Terra. As none of the news was good, Aqua often got depressed from hearing it. She stopped listening after it became a month of doing the same task. 

Friends of Aqua’s were no longer around in town, and she asked about them, wondering where they had gone. It was the same answer by every other man or woman she asked. _“I’ve heard they’ve gone out of town. They’ve moved!”_ But it didn’t feel right to Aqua. They wouldn’t just move out like that. Their homes remained the same like they had been abducted. 

She tried to ignore it all, but it was hard. Almost impossible. But she had to keep going. 

“Miss? Are you alright?” 

Aqua was knocked from her trance, focusing back on the market saleswoman. She flushed, awkwardly laughing. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what came upon me.” 

She then finished her shopping, and headed to the cafe across from the town market. Her mind was filled to the brim with worry, and she wasn’t giving herself much of a break from her practices. Perhaps today was a good day for relaxation. 

Aqua ordered a simple cup of coffee with extra cream and sugar on the side, and she took a seat near the front window of the shop. She fumbled with her barrette so more hair would be pulled to the side, but the small clip almost got lost in her hair when she did. Her eyes then moved around the shop, just admiring everything around her as she could. 

Then out of the corner of her eye, she saw him. He was outside the shop, talking with a few other men. Terra looked nothing like himself. He was almost strange to look at, but she had known him for a month, and she could never forget his face. 

They entered the coffee shop, Aqua hiding her face away from them. The men took seats at the other side of the shop, Terra’s back turned to her. Aqua’s coffee was served to her, along with her extra cream and sugar, and the waitress scampered away, attending to the other customers. 

The blue girl pulled a small change purse from her basket, almost forgetting to put her change away. She glanced over at Terra’s table, noting the volume of people coming in to get coffee or pastries for the day. She had almost forgotten it was only the morning. It had come to the point where she couldn’t even see him from the line of people. 

Aqua set her coin purse back into the basket, then pulling her copy of _Pride and Prejudice_ from it. She carried the heavy book along with her everywhere, though she never had the time to actually start it, so it just remained in the basket along with her other things. As she took one glance at it, she shook her head, resting it back inside her basket, and instead pulling out her leather folder of sheet music. 

The crowds eventually cleared in the cafe by the time Aqua finished her third cup of coffee, and completely forgot about Terra being there at all. By the time she looked over most of the sheet music, a commotion started outside. The people in the cafe turned towards the windows, gawking at the men in black uniforms holding handcuffed men. There were three of the uniformed men, watching six men in normal clothing, standing in front of the fountains. 

“Aqua? What are you doing here?” 

Aqua turned from the window, meeting to Terra standing next to her. She flushed, quickly closing her folder and resting it back into her basket. “Terra! What a pleasant surprise, what are you-”

“There’s no time for that.” he interrupted. “I have to take you home now. You can’t be here.” Terra took her hand, standing her from the chair. “I can’t explain.” 

“What is going on?” she asked, glancing out of the shop’s windows. There was shouting outside. 

Terra turned her chin away from the window, making her focus back on himself. “There are things that I can’t let you see in the world, and out there,” he picked up her basket, handing it to her. “No one should have to see it.”

Aqua was frightened by his tone. She had only seen him like this one other time, and that was almost two weeks ago when the officer wanted to take her away. “I don’t understand--” 

“Just trust me, Aqua. Please.” 

Hesitantly, she nodded. Nothing made sense to her until they were out of the shop and around the corner when the first strike of realization hit her. 

_BAM_

Aqua stumbled, almost tripping into Terra’s backside. Her eyes became wide with fear, and her heart started pounding ferociously. Terra pulled aside, feeling her knock against his back from stumbling. He could see all of her pent up fear and anxiety just flow right out of her eyes. The girl yelped in surprise, at the gunshot, and Terra tried his best to help her calm down. 

They were holding a public execution in the square. The men in the uniforms were the fascists, those men she heard Terra mention once to her father… the Gestapo. Everything became instantly clearer. 

_BAM_

_BAM_

The girl shook her head, covering her ears. Her eyes closed, hoping it was all just a bad dream… but it wasn’t. The next time she opened her eyes, she was against Terra’s chest. He had wrapped his arms around her, trying to comfort her as best as he could. She could hear Terra's heartbeat, and it was just as loud as her own was. Tears ran from her eyes, but when did she start crying?

 _BAM_

_BAM_

_BAM_

-

It must have been minutes until Terra finally did anything. He took a deep breath, gently pulling her away. He tilted her head up, wiping a stray tear that still left her eyes. 

“Let’s get you home, okay? We can talk, alone.” Terra offered, smoothing her hair. 

Aqua nodded, picking up her basket that she had dropped on the ground when she covered her ears. She noticed her hands still shaking, and she tried to stop it. But she couldn’t 

Neither said a word on their way back. Terra leading her home, while she still held his hand. She was holding on to his hand so tightly, that he doubted that there was any feeling left in it. He turned back every so often to glance at her, but he couldn’t see her face. 

Terra couldn’t wipe the image of her horrified expression away. He just silently helped her into the house, and closed and locked the door behind himself. His eyes trailing up to her form, resting against the wall. Something inside of himself told him to discuss everything that was happening to her. But another part of him refused to let her know. 

“How long have they been doing this?” 

He looked at the back of her head. “What do you mean?”

Aqua turned around to face him, her eyes still red, as well as her cheeks. She looked ready to burst into tears again. “You know damn well what I mean, Terra.” Her expression then morphed, anger blooming in her eyes. “The executions? The Fascists? _You?”_

Terra turned from her, realizing that she knew everything. “You were eavesdropping.” he wiped a hand down his face, chuckling a bit. “It’s not very nice to eavesdrop, Aqua.” 

The girl grit her teeth. “This isn’t the time!” she growled, balling her fists. “I can’t keep holding any more of this in. It’s murder!” 

He said nothing to her. 

Aqua felt the bile at the back of her throat, she felt the anger completely rise from her chest. It had been quite some time since Aqua was ever this upset, and she felt like it wasn't the last.

"Why are they doing this?!" her voice rose. She was confused, upset, and frightened. It was unlike her to act so rash like she was right now, but she had no other option but to confront Terra, her friend, about all of the chaos.

Terra cleared his throat. "It's a hate crime, against anyone who isn't perfect or who doesn't fit into Hitler's master race." he said, calmly. "I had to take you out of there before you were taken yourself, Aqua. It's too dangerous out there for you." Terra explained. 

"Your father wants you to be weak so you won't be taken--"

“It’s not fair that my father thinks that I am too weak to protect myself. That’s a lie!” She interrupted. Aqua was past furious now. He could see it in her eyes. 

“He doesn’t want you getting hurt-” 

“I don’t care what he thinks! I’m scared to death if I should even trust you or not. I heard him say that you’re dangerous! You could be working against for them! For the Nazis!”

Terra took a step forward, slamming his hand into the doorframe next to her. “Enough, Aqua!” Now he was upset. 

“You don’t know a fucking thing about me, but I will tell you this,” his eyes were narrow. “I would never, in my entire life, work for the Nazis. I fight to keep what I care about, and I would never give that up. Never.” 

Aqua’s anger drained from her face, her eyes locked on his. He was enraged, but he seemed to take a step back after his statement. He turned from her, running a hand through his hair. 

“I won’t lose anyone else.” 

\- 

For the rest of that day, both Terra and Aqua kept their distance from each other. They didn’t work on their language lessons, talk in the garden, or even have a meal together. Terra stayed holed up in Eraqus’ office, and Aqua tried to breathe and relax. Aqua was afraid of getting him that upset again, and she knew it was wrong to accuse him of such things. She had to apologize to him. 

It was much, much later until she gained the confidence to even speak to him again. She walked up to her father’s office door, knocking gently on the wood. 

“Come in.” 

Aqua didn’t like the tone of his voice, but she entered regardless. The familiar scents of old books, and oak greeted her once she opened the door. It must have been forever since she’d been in there. The wall to her left was lined with bookshelves, and to her right was a few wingback chairs and her father’s desk. 

Terra sat at the back of the desk, looking over dozens of papers that were piled up and up. Some of the papers were stuffed in green folders with notes taped to the majority of them. The man looked up, quickly closing the folder he was previously reading before she entered. 

Aqua came forward, her hands folded in front of her. “Terra, I would like to apologize for my behavior earlier. I didn’t mean to accuse you of anything. I was just... “ 

“Furious?” He asked, sitting up. 

She shook her head, taking a seat in one of the wingback chairs. “I’m sorry for also lying to you. I was wrong to eavesdrop on you.” Aqua pulled her eyes from his gaze, awkwardly pulling a strand of hair behind her ear. 

Terra didn’t say anything for a good moment or two after she finished. He just kept a steady gaze on her until he sighed. 

“I have to go away, Aqua.” 

Aqua’s eyes widened, her heart pounding in her chest. She flicked her gaze back to him. “What? You’re leaving?” 

He nodded. “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. It could be for days, weeks, months… maybe even years.” 

The girl furiously shook her head, unable to believe anything that he just said. “I don’t understand, Terra, we were-” she stopped herself. 

“I know it’s hard to take. Especially because of everything that is going on.” Terra added to her statement, his hand running through his hair. He looked butchered from everything that happened. 

Aqua rested her head in her hands, trying to not lose herself again. Was she the reason that he had to go away all of a sudden? None of it made sense, it was all too sudden, the feeling of heartbreak in her chest. But they were never together in the first place. 

“Did... I do something to cause you to leave?” The question wouldn’t stay tame on her lips for any longer. “I hope that isn’t the case.”

“I would never leave because of a foolish outburst, Aqua. That’s such a childish thing to be upset about.” Terra glanced at the flooring. “I’m leaving on business. And I can’t tell you anything, or I’d get you into even more danger.” he paused, still staring at the floor. "I can't let that happen." 

He stood from the chair he sat in, walking over to Aqua. Terra knelt down in front of her, smiling softly. “Hey,” he brushed her hair back from her eyes. “I’ll be back again. I’m not going to leave you here forever. I promise you.” 

Aqua gazed up at him through her fingers, unable to return his smile. “It will certainly be strange not having you around, Terra.” She sighed, pulling her hands away from her face. “But you have to promise me this,” Her eyes met back to his, and it felt like agony looking into them.

“Please don’t hurt yourself out there… And if you do… don’t hesitate to come back.” Aqua forced a smile, hoping the infatuation her in words wasn’t too clear. 

Terra nodded, taking her hands and standing her from the chair. “Of course, Aqua.” he smiled once again. But it faded after just a moment or two. “I hope I can keep that promise. But with my job… Anything could happen.” 

Neither of them said a word for a bit, exchanging glances here and there, but mostly just appreciating each other's presence. Eventually Aqua stepped back, feeling the agony hit her once again. She shook her head, sighing afterwards. 

“It was silly for me to ask that of you.” She turned halfway, ready to walk out of the door. “I’ll miss you an awful lot, Terra, since we are…” Her brain wouldn’t comprehend the words. “Friends.” 

He once again didn’t say anything in return, his eyes just fixed on her. 

“Goodbyes were never my favorite part of meeting people. They are always so upsetting.” Aqua laughed softly, forcing another smile his way. It was obvious that it was forced. Anyone could see the anguish lining her cheeks. 

“And I guess this is ours.” Terra mumbled. He turned from Aqua, his arms crossing. 

“Yes.” 

-

Terra left without another word that night, leaving Aqua alone at home until Eraqus was to come back home. But it was different from all of the previous times he had left, because Aqua knew he wasn’t going to come back for quite some time. 

His exact words kept ringing in her head for that evening. She remained in her room after he left, unable to keep still for the slightest second, asking herself if she really was the reason he left. The guilt from their argument still lingered in her chest, and the taste of anger was locked on the back of her tongue. Most of all, she was just upset. Upset that he was leaving and she didn’t have the courage to tell him how she felt. 

Aqua’s yearning to see him again was monumental, and she knew it wasn’t going to be easy to forget about him. He couldn’t have been that far away, yet her heart still chipped at the feeling of him leaving. The days would feel longer without him, and she wasn't sure what she was going to do. She hoped this was going to be the only time he would leave, but she also hoped it wasn't going to be the last time she would have ever seen him. 

She hoped he would return soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh, well it might've not been as chaotic as most of you might've thought, but some shit did go down in this. A lot of shit, actually..... But, as for everything goes, it should be smooth sailing from here, because- exciting time skip!! That should be fun. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and I'll see you in the next chapter!! <3


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When she made it to her house, she set her heavy basket on the ground, reaching for the key under their mailbox. She moved her hand around the entire bottom of the mailbox, panic rising in her chest. No one knew about this but her father and Ven!! Who found it?
> 
> Aqua pressed her thumb on the handle latch, attempting to push the door open. It was in fact, unlocked, and she bent down carefully to wrap her hand back around her basket. She stepped lightly into the foyer, glancing up the staircase, in the parlor to the left and the dining room to the right, and then straight ahead into the kitchen. Nothing seemed out of place, but she remained silent, hoping the intruder would make a sound. 
> 
> Footsteps ran from in the kitchen into the foyer where she was, and Aqua tensed. It couldn’t have been her father, since he always had his keys. Plus if he did forget, they would’ve been on the front table in the same place, and they were not, so that idea was out of the question.

**First Day of Winter 1941**

Not a single day passed by where Aqua wouldn’t think of him. She usually followed her normal routine: wake up, breakfast, attend to the garden, leave for practices, and return home before the sun set. Some days were different, but she tried her damndest to stay on track. It had been quite some time since she had found any interest in other things. She composed songs for her lessons, memorized more songs, and just stuck to playing the piano. 

The girl didn’t change much over the years, nothing but a little aging and a haircut here and there, but she looked like the same Aqua everyone had come to know. In her mind, she couldn’t even believe that two years had flown by, the thought just running past her, in fact. 

She was taking her time to walk down to the Elbe River, hoping to get some meat from the market. It was a fact that times were getting to the worst they could be, and it became much harder to get the things they needed for the house. The most deportations began, and many more people were taken by the Nazi soldiers. The soldiers now patrolled the streets every night, making sure every person were in their homes by the ten thirty curfew. 

Fighter planes flew overhead almost every day, and even the fighter U-boats ran along the Elbe River. Sometimes she would hear the fights taking place above, and some other times she just tried to hide herself in her room. It was terrifying. If Eraqus didn’t have the status he did, Aqua would be taken away, since she didn’t meet the perfect standards to be a part of the Aryan race. But she didn’t even want to be a part of that. 

Aqua calmed herself down, continuing to walk down the riverside markets. The cold wind blew off of the water and made it feel so much colder, the breeze almost knocking right through her. She pulled her scarf up, hoping it wouldn’t fall back down again. The blue girl was bundled up the whole way, wearing almost five layers, and yet she was still cold. 

Once she made her way to the market, another German U-boat was passing by in the harbor, its massive size just gliding past the smaller fishing boats. It was scary to look at, and she could just imagine how many people that were on board fighting for unfair reasons. She turned from the boat, her stomach twisting with a mix of fear and anger. 

The girl attempted to push her thoughts aside and actually live her life. She walked over to the first stall, glancing over the moderate prices of the beef and fish. Aqua purchased the last of their sausage links, along with some fish, hoping to make a stew out of a few of them. Then she walked along the rest of the market, fulfilling a shopping trip that would hopefully last them a week or two. 

After her shopping trip, she started on her way back home. She had to admit to herself that since she was unemployed, she had to dip into her savings fund for a grand piano. The fund had years of money saved up in it, but for the price she had to pay for food and other things was more than what Eraqus would give to her for the week. It made her more than upset… she was working for so long, just to have her dream swept right from underneath herself. 

Aqua was stopped twice on her way home, for the same reason: her blue hair. She showed them her papers, was ridiculed, and then she was on her way again. After being called a freak, _bozgor_ , mutant, and possibly every other word in the book, she didn’t care anymore. There were more important things she had to worry about, and the thoughts of others was not one of them. 

When she made it to her house, she set her heavy basket on the ground, reaching for the key under their mailbox. She moved her hand around the entire bottom of the mailbox, panic rising in her chest. No one knew about this but her father and Ven!! Who found it?

Aqua pressed her thumb on the handle latch, attempting to push the door open. It was in fact, unlocked, and she bent down carefully to wrap her hand back around her basket. She stepped lightly into the foyer, glancing up the staircase, in the parlor to the left and the dining room to the right, and then straight ahead into the kitchen. Nothing seemed out of place, but she remained silent, hoping the intruder would make a sound. 

Footsteps ran from in the kitchen into the foyer where she was, and Aqua tensed. It couldn’t have been her father, since he always had his keys. Plus if he did forget, they would’ve been on the front table in the same place, and they were not, so that idea was out of the question. 

Aqua took her shoes off, and stepped into the hallway, hoping none of the floorboards would creak under her weight. She set the basket down, leaving it in the middle of the floor. Her back was to the wall, and she looked in the kitchen, a familiar face standing at the back door, their back turned to the doorway. 

She put a foot into the kitchen, her eyes wide. “Y-you?!” Her heart pounded even more, and her palms got sweaty. Aqua took a handful of her skirt, and tried to even her breathing. Heat built up in her cheeks, and she didn’t know if she wanted to run over or break down from her frustration.

It was the man she had fallen for, the tall, dark skinned, ocean-blue eyed man. Terra Erde… After what felt like a millennia, he was finally back. He turned to her, giving her a breathtaking smile. This smile was one he had never shared before, and Aqua was in long deserving of it. 

Aqua grit her teeth, trying to hold back the flood of emotions inside of her. She leaned against the doorway, a bittersweet smile curling to her lips. “You’re okay.” 

Terra nodded, taking a step in her direction. “You look older. But still as nice, and gentle.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Your hair looks lovely like that too…” 

She could tell he was at a loss for words, but then again… as was she. It was a little over two years since she had seen him, and her heart ached remembering the last thing she had said to him. After that awful day… all she said to him was a simple _“Yes”_ before he left. She didn’t know if he remembered anything that they had done, but she certainly didn’t forget anything. 

“Remember when I was teaching you some Turkish, and you said that the pronunciations were so different from any other language you had heard?” he kept his distance, but his eyes gazed through her. 

Aqua nodded, smiling softly. “I remember, _arkadaş_.” 

Terra grinned, almost fueled by his pride. “I’m glad you remember. There’s so much more I should teach you, _benim güzel mavi_.” 

“What does that mean?” 

He glanced away from her, still smiling. “I’ll teach you one day. But as for now, that is my nickname for you. It’s nothing bad I promise. Something beautiful to go along with you.” 

Aqua’s cheeks burned, and she sighed. “Well I have to tend to some cooking, feel free to stay about. But please put the key back under the mailbox, papa might worry.” she walked off back into the foyer, taking her coat and scarf off, hanging them on the wall hooks. 

“I was planning on coming down to the river to see if you were there,” Terra followed her out into the foyer. “But then you were gone for a while, so I just decided to wait here.” He took her basket off of the floor, immediately smelling the fish and produce. 

She turned to him while she slipped her shoes back on. “If I would’ve known you were coming I would’ve made something to put in the icebox for you. But then again,” Aqua took the basket from him, smiling gently. “You’re a man of mystery. And you still haven’t told me anything about yourself. Besides for your family, but that was so long ago. I can barely remember.” 

Broken laughter rose from his throat, and he rubbed the nape of his neck. “It’s probably best that you know nothing about me. I know almost everything about you, and I think it's better that way.”

Aqua took off for the kitchen again, leaving him in the hallway. She didn’t say anything until she lifted the basket onto the countertop, beginning to pull the groceries from it. Her eyes occasionally flicked up at him. "Well, whenever you want to talk," She met his eyes. 

"I'm all ears, Terra." 

Terra leant against the wall, resting his head against it too. "I'd much rather talk about you than me, but I promise that one day I'll spill." He closed his eyes, sighing. It was a moment or two before he spoke. "You're twenty now." 

"That I am." Aqua put some fruit in the bowl on the counter, and then carried the fish and sausages to the icebox, resting them inside. "I never actually got your age. So you could be hundreds of years older than me, and I wouldn't know." She turned back to him, smiling.

"Do I really look that old? I always thought I took after my mother. She is almost fifty-five, and she looks not a day older than fifty-two." Terra shot her a look, one that made her laugh. "But I assure you, _güzel mavi_ , that I am only twenty-five." 

Aqua stared off into space for a moment, her mind drawing a blank at the mention of his mother. "Terra, do you think I could meet your mother someday? I'm sure she's a beautiful woman and all... I just want to know her in person." 

He nodded, but he averted his eyes from hers. "After the war. It would be a better time for us then. But I'm sure she would be more than happy to meet you, Aqua." 

The tone of his voice and the expression on his face made Aqua tense up, but she attempted to not let it bother her. "I'll be honored, Mr. Erde." She smiled. "I don't usually have the chance to meet new people much anymore, so it would be exciting." 

“I’m sure you both would get along.” Terra yawned, his eyes leaving the floor. “Now, _mavi_ , why don’t I help you make something to eat, and we can have it over something to drink? Would you like that? We could catch up that way,” He trailed off, standing at the opposite side of the counter. 

Aqua jumped back from her trance, nodding. “That would be nice. I would love to tell you all about what has happened with me.” 

-

The two friends helped each other whip up a meal together, teaching new things to one another. Aqua was quite impressed with his skills, while he just brushed her compliments to the side and reassured her that she was the better cook. When their hands accidentally brushed against each other, Aqua’s heart flew through the roof. 

It wasn’t a matter of keeping the horrific facts about the war from him anymore, it was how she felt about him. She knew it was not the time for a romance to be budding, since it was almost apparent that he was one of the most wanted men in all of Europe, she just wished it was so. His compliments were more than just that, it was like he wanted to be flirting with her, she just didn’t know how to respond. It was always the most inopportune time for her feelings to take weight. 

They had spent the rest of their evening reconnecting, talking about things Aqua had done, and even he had spilled some details of what he was doing. Not much, but it made her feel honored to hear it. The first snowfall of winter began, and the house was kept warm by the fireplace. 

Aqua was curled up on the loveseat, a blanket over her lap and a photo album in her hands. Terra sat next to her, glancing over the album, trying to keep Aqua preoccupied while the sounds of fighter planes ran overhead. She didn't mention anything about how she felt towards their presence to him, but he didn't want her getting frightened either... 

"...And here was when papa made me start ballet." Aqua smiled, pointing to a small photograph of her younger self in a tutu and pointe shoes. "I didn't take it for long, since I found more of a passion in playing the piano." 

"Will you ever play for me?" 

Aqua turned to him, her smile almost fell. "Of course, I'll play for you, Terra. If I had my piano here with me, I would right now." She looked down. “I’ve written more songs since you were away, and I’ve tried to memorize the majority of them-”

Terra shook his head. “You also write songs? Aqua that’s amazing!” He was smiling, no longer focused on the photo album. He was staring straight at her. “You must be brilliant in performances.” 

“I’ve never performed before.” 

“What?”

Aqua nodded, hesitantly closing the album over her hand to mark the page. “I’ve never been good in front of crowds. Mostly because of…” she glanced away. “Mostly because of who I am.” Her eyes fell to the floor, and she shifted in her seat. 

“Aqua,” Terra said, resting his hands over hers. “In my eyes, you’re worth more than anything than I could ever ask for. You’re perfect.” His eyes weren’t leaving her form, and he desperately tried to make eye contact with her. “Sure, you’re fragile at some times, but we all are. You’re strong. Aqua you shouldn’t need me to protect you, but I do anyway.” 

The azure girl made eye contact with him, and a chill went down her spine. Words couldn't leave her throat, her mind was scrambling to think of an answer. "K-köszönöm, Terra." 

They sat there for a moment, staring at each other, before Aqua kicked herself back into reality. She pulled her hand out from underneath his own, and rested it back at her side. "I can't." She mumbled, pulling her eyes from his gaze. "I can't let this happen-"

"Have what happen, Aqua?" Terra asked, brushing a strand of her hair away from her eyes. Realization hit him like a punch in the face. He then slowly set his hand back on the photo album, taking note of the harsh snowfall outside. "It's a silly thing, isn't it?" 

She turned to him, her cheeks flaming red, her eyes wide. "I don't know what you're talking about." Aqua remained somewhat reserved on her exterior, not moving much. But on the inside, she was having a meltdown. 

"Love." The brunet took a deep breath, his eyes flicked back to hers. A moment passed before he opened his mouth again. "I'm in love with you, Aqua. And I don't know if you feel the same for me, but.." He laughed a bit, throwing her off from his lax emotion. "I shouldn't be spilling this to you." 

Aqua shook her head, her mind completely lost from herself. She had to stop denying it. She had to tell herself the truth. 

"I can't get you in danger." He looked at his hands. "I could-" Terra stopped himself, taking another deep breath, almost like he was composing himself. "I could never forgive myself if you got hurt, Aqua. You mean _so_ much to me." 

Aqua still said nothing, but she nodded along with all that he said, hoping this wasn't a dream, hoping that she was in fact, living this very moment. And it seemed that her dream was true. Her heart pounding was real, the smell of burning wood in the fireplace was real, the warm feeling of Terra sitting next to her.... Was real. 

"During the two years that I was gone, I took a trip to see my mother, in Switzerland... since I can't risk having her killed back home in Munich. She was overjoyed to see me, but upset to see what I was doing with my life." Terra's tone had dropped, and he was staring at the fire. "We talked for hours the first night that I stayed. She broke down in tears," He paused. "..Praying that I wouldn't be taken and tortured by the Gestapo. Praying that I would make it back to Hamburg, alive." 

The girl didn't know why he was telling her this, but it relieved her to know where he was. She just wasn't ready to accept all of this. She didn't feel right taking all of this in. 

Terra smiled a bit. "I told her about you," he met her eyes, before gravitating back to the fire. "I remember she asked me when I returned to see her last year, if I had 'spoken to my blue maiden' recently," His gaze fell to the floor. "And then I told her the truth. I told her that I hadn't returned to Hamburg, Germany, that I was getting drunk for days on end in pubs and that I didn't know if I was in love or not." 

He ran a hand through his hair. "And then, one night while in a small tavern, west of Vienna, Austria, I finally realized. I realized that I was." Terra sighed. "I smashed my glass on the floor, yelling at the top of my lungs in Turkish," he paused, turning back to Aqua. " _Ben güzel bir mavi kıza aşığım!_ " 

Aqua sat still, her eyes pressing back tears. The words he had just said were absolutely incomprehensible to her, and she had no clue what he had said. She didn't know what to do. She had never been in love before, but it was the strangest feeling. Her mind still was unable to process words, and her throat was dry. “Why?” She asked, her voice low. 

“Why?” Terra furrowed his brow. “Why do I love you?” He laughed, his eyes leaving hers. "I love could have millions of reasons, and yet," 

He locked his gaze with her. "I haven't understood why I love you so much. I don't know if it's your smile, the way your hair blows in a breeze, your sincerity..." He trailed off. 

"It might be everything about you." 

The blue girl's heart sank into the ground, her eyes closing. "Terra, I don't know what to say... My mind is running to think of something for me to say, and my heart knows just what I need to say... I just… don’t know how to put it into words." She opened her eyes back up, and she could still feel her cheeks burning. 

He smiled, pulling her into a hug. "You look like a strawberry again, _güzel mavi_." His voice was no higher than a whisper, and he left a kiss on the top of her head. 

Funny enough, Aqua didn't want to leave the embrace. She wanted to stay in his arms forever... his strong arms, that could keep her from any harm. As she wished for the dream to be true, he was letting her go, unwrapping his arms from her shoulders. 

“It’s nearly past one, Aqua. You should be getting some rest.” Terra took the album from her lap, resting it on the coffee table. He wouldn’t leave her gaze, not even for a second. 

“Papa isn’t home yet, I usually wait for him...” Aqua trailed off, looking into the foyer. 

Terra shook his head, taking her hands and pulling her to her feet. “He probably is working hard, and we shouldn’t ruin your schedule just to see him. He’ll be alright, I promise.” 

Aqua nodded, starting for the staircase. She stopped midway, a question popping into her mind at the last second. “Terra?” 

“Yes, _mavi_?” 

She balled her hands, staring at the staircase. “You... you aren’t going to leave anytime soon... are you? Because, I don’t know if I can say-” 

“Goodbye.” he interrupted her. 

“Yes… that.” 

Terra laughed softly, shaking his head again. “No, Aqua. I won’t be leaving for a long, long time. We won’t need to say goodbye again.” 

Aqua nodded, sighing in relief. “Good night, Terra. I’ll see you tomorrow. Feel free to stay in the extra bedroom if you get tired. It’s not safe to go out at night time.” She started slowly for the staircase again. 

“Thank you, Aqua. Good night, _sevgili_. I’ll see you in the morning.” His voice trailed into the foyer as she went up the stairs, wondering what he had said. 

Aqua then got upstairs, closing her bedroom door behind her. The thoughts running in her head were more than enough to make her exhausted to sleep, and she quickly got into her nightgown and slipped into bed. She didn’t know if she could actually sleep, but she tried and tried, until she finally did. 

The snow slowed down to only flurries, but the chill of the winter air still blew about outside. Sounds of fighter planes still flew overhead, and marching of the Nazi soldiers ran from the street. Far off gunshots could be heard somewhat in the streets as well, but it was nothing that Aqua hadn’t learned to sleep through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations & Authors Note:  
> arkadaş - friend (turkish)  
> benim güzel mavi - my beautiful blue (turkish)  
> köszönöm - thank you (hungarian)  
> Ben güzel bir mavi kıza aşığım! - I'm in love with a beautiful blue girl! (again, turkish)  
> sevgili - beloved (ding ding, you guessed it, its turkish)  
> _____  
> WOOOOOOOOOOOT!! Time skip!  
> Also I didn't really know where to carry this to, but haha we got Terra to confess something! Also possible foreshadowing points????  
> Anyway, next chapter will be a little weird... I have to check my notes and go over a few things, so it might be a bit so I can wrap my head around everything!  
> Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you in the next chapter!! ♥♥


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Then thoughts of losing Aqua clouded his work, and he stopped all together, cursing under his breath. He thought about what would happen if she was taken from him, what he would do to get her back. But he realized he was being selfish… There would come a time where she would fall in love with someone else, and he had to force himself to be alright with it. Terra groaned, dropping the paper he was holding, and sank back against the cushion.

Terra sighed, wiping his hand down his face. It was probably at least thirty minutes since Aqua had left for bed, yet he couldn’t manage to get his mind in check. He sat on the loveseat he was on all night, and he was staring into the fire. Somehow, looking into the flames, it reminded him of something from long, long, ago. Yet, he couldn’t remember what it was. Probably useless for him to dig up memories. 

He stood up, stepping into the kitchen to get his only bag from his travels. Terra took the bag by the handles, pulling it off the countertop. He walked back into the dim lit parlor, slumping down on the sofa, resting his back against the cushion. His eyes ran to the leather parcel he carried in, sighing once again in exhaustion. 

The clock ticked on in the room, and before he knew it, the clock rang for two am. Terra jumped at the harsh ring of the clock, clearly deprived of sleep. He usually wasn’t this jumpy when he didn’t sleep. His hands ran over papers he obtained on his travels, information of the Allies losing parts of France to the Nazis, information about the death camps and the several thousands of innocent people were in them at this moment. 

Then thoughts of losing Aqua clouded his work, and he stopped all together, cursing under his breath. He thought about what would happen if she was taken from him, what he would do to get her back. But he realized he was being selfish… There would come a time where she would fall in love with someone else, and he had to force himself to be alright with it. Terra groaned, dropping the paper he was holding, and sank back against the cushion. 

Silence passed on in the parlor, only cracking and burning from the fireplace. It was then until the front door unlocked, and a brush of brisk winter air blew into the house. Terra turned to the foyer behind him, waiting to see Eraqus emerge from the front hall. 

The old man did, in fact, take a step into the parlor, his eyes narrow and cold while he exchanged a glance with Terra. “You return.” He peeled off his jacket and scarf, resting them on an armchair next to himself. Then he rolled up his sleeves, walking apprehensively around the love seat to observe Terra from the front. “How long have you been here?” 

“Since the morning. I figured I would just show up, because I am rather unpredictable.” Terra replied, grinning. 

Eraqus didn’t return his grin, his lips in a tight frown, and he took a seat across from the Turk. “What did you do with Aqua today? Did she even leave your side?” He sounded bored. 

Terra rubbed the nape of his neck. “Yeah, we chatted for most of the day. Just catching up basically.” His eyebrows lowered. “Why do you need to know?” 

The German scoffed. “It’s my house and my daughter. Just because you show up out of the blue, Mr. Erde, doesn’t give you the least bit more of respect from me.” Eraqus sat against the back of the armchair, his eyes skimming over the papers over the coffee table. 

Terra leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. “On another note, we should probably discuss some…things.” He shot Eraqus a look, one that he was completely serious. “What are you going to do with Aqua? What if something happens to her?”

“Don’t speak like that. She’s fine as long as she has me.” Eraqus’ expression hardened. “They won’t take her.” 

“But you don’t know that, Eraqus. The Nazis are persecuting people who take one short breath out of line, and you know they won’t stop there. She’s different, they have probably had her on their list for years now. You can’t deny that.” 

Eraqus took a deep breath. “Enough, Terra.” His expression turned, and he stood from his chair. “It’s about time that I turn in. But before I forget, I have to ask you something,”

Terra tore his gaze away from him, gazing back into the flames again. “What is it?” His voice was monotonous. 

“Aqua doesn’t know about any of this, does she? I mean, not the war, but you?” The old man asked, his arms crossed. “She often woke up from nightmares when you were gone, once or twice crying out…” He grit his teeth shaking his head. “Nevermind. I’ll be off upstairs if you need me.” 

Eraqus left the room without another word, walking up the stairs. The closing of his door reverberated through the hallway and into the hallway downstairs. The house then went quiet, the sounds of winds blowing outside, and the cracking of the fire filled the silence. 

The Turk sank back against the sofa’s cushions, thinking about too many things at once again. He wiped his hand down his face, contemplating to scour the house for any alcohol, but he stopped himself. He knew getting drunk wasn’t going to solve his problems. It was going to take time, but first he needed to get some rest. He couldn’t remember the last time he had a good night's sleep, and something told him that he wouldn’t until the war was over. 

Terra stood up, gathering all of his work and stuffing the files back into his worn satchel. His eyes ran over a few of the files on the Gestapo and Nazi leaders, and he felt blood boil up inside of himself. He threw the rest of the papers away, closing the bag tight. The papers and files were just more about the depressing truth, and he wanted nothing more than to run and be blissfully unaware of everything… with Aqua. 

But he knew her too well, she was like an open book. She hid nothing from him, or at least he thought she did. It would be pulling teeth to ask her to run away, she cares too much about her family and friends. That day would never come, and he just had to accept the fact. A part of him stopped him from thinking any further, since he was overthinking things. They were friends. 

Blue eyes fell back to the floor, observing the carpet’s patterns. His eyelids grew heavy, and he felt the waves of exhaustion hit him. It was time to rest. Terra pulled his satchel to his side, leaving the parlor. He stepped lightly up the stairs, hoping to not rouse anyone from sleep. The only other door that was left open was the spare bedroom, beside what Terra guessed to be Ventus’ room. 

He went inside, pulling the door closed behind himself. The room was quite big for a guest room, and met to the front of the house, the wide window meeting to the middle of the right wall. A desk rested next to the window, as was an armchair. The bed was lined with fresh linens, a comforter and a few more blankets were folded on the mattress’ top. The pillows looked like they were cleaned, and pillowcases were on. 

Terra smiled, figuring Aqua had done this before going to bed. He set his satchel on the desktop, peeling his jacket off. Off also came his shirt, and he threw them on the armchair. He slipped his shoes and socks off, leaving them at the end of the bed. Once he unfolded the blankets and got into bed, it felt like he couldn’t doze off. Although he felt somewhat safe, he just didn’t feel right staying in their house. 

The linens and blankets smelled fresh and clean, something else that comforted him. He wondered how long it took Aqua to wash the sheets and blankets, how much effort and energy she spent doing it. His head rested against the pillows, and he gazed out the window. 

Snow was falling slowly in flurries outside, and watching it made his eyelids grow heavier, until he finally decided to turn on his side and try to fall asleep. It didn’t take him very long until he started to dream. 

_

Aqua jolted awake, the doorbell ringing like crazy downstairs. She quickly jumped out of bed and pulled her robe on, tying it around her waist as she ran down the stairs. The doorbell continued to ring, soon turning to harsh knocks on the door. 

“I’m coming! I’m sorry! I’m coming!” she cried, crashing into the front door and pulled it open. 

A man wearing all black with flame red hair stood at the door. His hair was trying to be concealed under a sports cap, but it didn’t seem to be doing that good of a job. He was tall and lanky, and he seemed infuriated, cigarette smoke rose from the burning cylinder between his fingers. 

“I’m looking for an Eraqus Meister? I heard he needs some help-” The man stopped, looking down to meet Aqua’s eyes. “Oh.” 

Aqua glanced back at the side table in the entry room, her father’s keys gone from their usual spot. She rubbed her eyes, turning back up to the man. “He’s not in at the moment. I’m sorry for the inconvenience.” 

“Are you his daughter everyone is talking about? You’re much smaller than I imagined.” 

She laughed sheepishly, turning her head. “Most people are just taller than me, like you and Terra-” She covered her mouth, her eyes wide. 

The man furrowed his brow, grinning. “So that’s where the rat has been hiding.” he threw the cigarette on the porch smashing it with his boot. “It’s best that I just leave my regards if he’s here.” 

“You know him?”

He nodded, laughing a bit. “We go back a little bit, but I wouldn’t call us friends. Strictly business.” The man shrugged. “Oh well. Give him this message, while you’re at it. Tell him The Dancing Flames came to visit.” 

He handed her a folder from inside his jacket, and Aqua stuffed it under her robe. The man snorted, lighting up another cigarette. 

“Don’t overdo it. Be less suspicious.” He winked taking a step back. “I’ll see ya later blueberry.” The man waved, leaving her porch. 

Aqua furrowed her brow, closing the front door. She pulled the file from under her robe, gazing at it. She knew it wasn’t her business to look inside of the folder, especially since it was for Terra. 

Last night was such a blur for her. It didn’t register to her that it was real. Terra couldn’t be in love with her… It was a lie, he couldn’t.

The girl shook the thought from her head, leaving the front room into the parlor. Her photo album was still on the table, but there was a paper folded up resting on it. Aqua walked around the loveseat, taking the paper. Curiously, she unfolded it, reading it. 

The paper was typed by a typewriter, and red letters spelling “CLASSIFIED” in German, were stamped sloppily in the middle of the page. It was a file of some sort, although Aqua couldn’t read the text it was in. The only word she recognized was Eraqus, and she stiffened. 

Quickly, she folded the paper back up, setting it on top of the folder given to her by the man who knew Terra. She walked out from the parlor, going back upstairs. Aqua pretended like she didn't read any of the papers, and she exhaled deeply as she reached the top of the stairs. It was probably best if she delivered these to him now, rather than wait later. She stepped over to the guest room door, knocking gently on the wood. 

“Terra?” she whispered, hoping she didn’t wake him up. 

There wasn’t a response. 

Aqua figured he was still sleeping, so she just slowly turned the doorknob, entering the room. She first poked her head inside, noticing the covers up and around someone on the bed. A sigh of relief left her, and she slowly crept inside. 

Terra was bundled up under the blankets and he was turned on his side away from the door. The sun shined through the window like crazy, and it was almost blinding to walk in on. Aqua tiptoed over to the desk, resting the folder and paper on the top. She also walked across the room and pulled the curtains closed so he could rest some more. Her eyes ran back to his sleeping form, and she observed, and admired how peacefully he slept. He must’ve felt safe if he was sleeping that well.

The girl smiled, leaving from the room. She gently pulled the door closed, and went on her way to get ready for the day. She didn’t know what was going to happen now that Terra was back, and she didn’t know if things were going to get any better. But positive feelings overflowed from her. 

Aqua returned to her own room, quickly bathing and getting dressed. She sat in front of her vanity mirror, observing the face that looked back at her. She found it interesting how her hair framed her cheeks, and how her eyes were so pale and crystal blue. The girl was so fascinated by her strange qualities and features.

She snapped a barrette into her hair, and scurried downstairs. Her hands held her skirt and petticoat up while she ran into the kitchen, starting to brew some coffee. 

Since the times were tough, good produce or groceries were hard to come by. It was hard enough trying to get places, but booklets for rations were being handed out to the less fortunate, and Aqua tried her best to help them while still trying to survive herself. 

She would sometimes find herself sending money off to her brother in England, hoping he has enough to get by. It's been awhile since he had called and chatted with her, but she didn’t mind. She gave up the opportunity to attend university, and instead reaching to become a master pianist. 

Aqua sighed, filling her coffee press with the grinds. She got the water on to boil, and stepped over to the backdoor. Snow was piled over all of the plants, and the light bounced off the snow. It was very pretty outside, but it was rather cold, and Aqua was somewhat sensitive to the cold. She admired the simplicity and beauty of snow and winter, but she just got sick a lot during the season. 

The girl just realized that her guest might not have extra clothes to wear, unless he had hidden a suitcase away somewhere… but she seriously doubted it. He couldn’t wear the same clothes two days in a row! Someone has to clean them! She poured the finally boiled water into her French Press, waiting a moment before pressing it down. Aqua moved the press to the middle of the counter, and hurried upstairs. 

Aqua opened her father’s bedroom door, tiptoeing into his closet. Even though her father was gone for the day, she was still incredibly careful while going into his room. She took a look at all of her father’s suits, shirts, and slacks. She carefully took a simple burgundy button down and some black slacks out for him, along with clean socks, then hurried out of the room. The least time she spent in there the better. 

She met to the door of the guest room, and knocked gently on the door again. “Terra?” she whispered once again, slowly closing her eyes. 

There was no response again. 

Aqua slowly turned the doorknob, stepping back inside the guest room. Her eyes flicked immediately to the bed, and she noticed Terra was still asleep. She lightly made her way to the empty top of the dresser, setting the clothing down on the top. A sigh left her, and she turned halfway, in the direction of the window.

“Good morning, Aqua.” 

Aqua nearly jumped two feet in the air, startled by his sudden statement. She looked back at Terra, holding her chest in surprise, and he was sitting upright in bed, smiling softly. He ran a hand through his hair, yawning. 

“Good morning, Terra, I didn’t mean to wake you up.” she glanced at the folder she set on the desk, and she lowered her hands. “I was just giving some clothes to you so I can clean yours.” 

Terra smiled, pulling the covers back, and got out of bed. He walked over to the desk, observing the folder on top. “Where did this come from?” he lifted it up, opening it and reading over a few of the things inside. “Who gave this to you, Aqua?” his eyes were dead set on hers. 

Aqua shook her head, trying not to gawk at his miraculously sculpted body. “Uh, some man who knew you… He went by some silly code name. Oh, what was it?” she couldn’t believe herself that she had already forgotten, or she was just distracted. “Oh! Right! His name was The Dancing Flames!” she smiled proudly, although something told her she shouldn’t be so proud about that. 

Terra snorted, breaking off into laughter. “Oh… Wow. I haven’t seen him in years.” he stopped laughing, turning back to Aqua, who had started making his bed. “What are you doing?” 

Aqua glanced up for a moment. “I’m making your bed, what does it look like I’m doing?” she pulled the sheets back up to the pillows, tucking it nicely under the sides of the mattress. 

“No, why are you doing that. I’m perfectly capable of making my own bed,”

“But you’re my guest, and I promised to my father when I was ten years old, that I would care for my houseguests.” 

Terra groaned, slapping the folder back on the desktop. He marched over to the opposite side of the bed, and he started to help her make the bed. “I was going to do this, y’know.” 

Aqua chuckled, but Terra was couldn’t tell if it was sarcastic or not. “Mhmm, sure. Just like you said you would come to the theater with me two years ago.” 

“I’m sorry, _güzel mavi_. But I have something in store for you. If you can just wait a little longer until Christmas..” he replied, sincerity lining his words.

“Christmas? I didn’t know you celebrated Christmas! I just love this time of the year, with the bright tinsel, and decorating the fir tree with ornaments and goodies on Christmas Eve. I just love it!” 

“Do you partake in the Advent season?”

Aqua shook her head, shrugging a bit. “Papa and I aren’t that religious as we used to when Ven was around, and nowadays… It’s better that we don’t practice.” she trailed off, smoothing the blankets and comforter. 

Terra nodded, smiling. “I’m eager to share this holiday season with you, güzel mavi.” But he didn’t look up at her. 

“I’m happy you’ll be around too, Terra. It’s nice to finally have your spirit back in the house.” Aqua nodded proudly, walking past him and to the door. “Now that your bed is made, why don’t I make us some breakfast?” 

Terra nodded, turning halfway to look at her.

She gazed back at his chiseled body, observing scars that were strewn about over his torso. “And…” she caught herself zoning out. “And! You can clean yourself up!” Aqua quickly shut the door, leaning against the other side. Her heart leaped in her chest, and she desperately tried to remain calm. 

The azure maiden ran down the stairs, and dashed into the kitchen. She started making some kind of meal with fish and potatoes, excited to talk with Terra more and catch up.

-

Overhead, planes flew, and rounds of heavy artillery broke out. Sirens wailed in the distance, and ran up the street. Aqua looked around, startled. It had never gotten this bad before. She opened the back door, stepping outside to look up. The clouds covered the sky, but bright flashing surfaced to the bottom of the clouds, almost like lightning. Snow gently fell. Aqua quickly closed the door, locking it and dashing around the chopping block to the foyer doorway. 

_“Aqua, get down!”_

Aqua turned to see Terra running into the kitchen, pulling her down to the floor. He hugged her close to his chest, and then the first explosion erupted against the city. It sounded like it was the end of the world, or just the end of Hamburg. 

The blast was loud, but it wasn’t close enough to do any damage to the house. The floors and windows shook, and the sirens continued to whine during the next few bombs. After the fourth or fifth one, it went dead silent. 

They must’ve been on the floor for ten minutes, waiting for some type of response. Police and firetruck sirens then blared down the street, startling Aqua. 

“What happened?” Aqua whispered, holding onto Terra’s arms for support. 

Terra looked through her, his hands wrapped around her upper arms. “Hamburg has been attacked by the allies… They don’t know that there’s innocent people still in town.” he explained, his expression grim.

Aqua’s eyes widened, her heart dropping to the ground. “Papa… They might have gotten papa’s workplace!” she squirmed out of his grasp, stumbling to her feet. Aqua tripped on her skirt, falling to the ground in her frenzy, but she picked herself up. “I have to go see if he’s alright!” She ran into the foyer, pulling on her boots.

“Aqua, no! You can’t go out there now!” Terra leaped to his feet, running after her. He managed to get ahold of her hand in the foyer, her eyes wide and fearful begged to let her go. “I won’t let you go, Aqua. They might do another airstrike-” 

“Terra, he’s the only family I have here! I have to know if he’s okay!” she cried, feeling tears well up in her eyes. 

Terra held onto her wrist, unable to let her go out. “Aqua, you could die,” he choked, feeling her tremble. 

“But my father could be dead!” The tears finally escaped her eyes. “Please..” Aqua begged, her cheeks blooming with red blush. 

Terra held her for another moment, gritting his teeth. His chest felt so heavy, and his stomach was a ball of ice. He didn’t want to let her go. But he had no choice, and he let go of her. 

“Go.” 

Aqua returned his kindness with a bittersweet smile, and she leaned in, leaving a kiss on his cheek. “I promise I’ll come back in one piece.” she pulled away, wiping her cheeks free of tears. Just before she left, she gave him one last nod of reassurance. "I'll be back Terra." Then she opened the door, leaving.

Terra watched on as she left the house, into the frigid, snowy air. She pulled the door shut on her way out, and as soon as the door met the frame, the Turk started to panic. He shouldn’t have let her go… But if he didn’t, then she might hate him for all of eternity. His first instinct was to run out after her, although he would be caught, if not undercover. 

He had to do something.

\--

Aqua ran off of her front porch, and into the thick snow on the sidewalks. It not shoveled yet. She trudged through it, smoke and ash rising from the west of her location. That was the direction to her father’s workplace and the town square. She hoped it was not her father’s workplace

Other citizens watched from cracked curtains in their homes, terrified to make a single step outside. The bitter cold wind picked up in either direction, taking Aqua with it as she struggled against it. She finally met to cleared sidewalks, and she picked up the pace. 

Aqua’s heart was beating faster and faster, the closer she got to the town square. Fires were active on public buildings, and ash and soot was carried in the wind. Screams of citizens echoed along, as well as the sirens from more emergency vehicles speeding past.

People were running from the flames that had broken out, and some knocked against Aqua as she tried to get near her father’s workplace. The frigid cold started to get to her, and she was getting colder the less she was running. 

As soon as she reached her father’s workplace, half of it was destroyed and burning. Windows were blown or shattered out, and the stone rubble was all over the front steps to the inside. Workers were still evacuating the building as Aqua made her way up the steps. People pushed her aside, wanting to save their own skins. One last forceful push knocked her back, slamming her into the side of a concrete pillar. Her vision blurred, and her head felt awful. She collapsed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authors Note:  
> Edit (11/24/15): I forgot to mention something in my original note!!! The bombings in Hamburg didn't occur until later in 1944 (correct me if I am wrong!!), but I decided to add something to this, just for some excitement! 
> 
> (original note: 11/22/15)  
> AHAHAHAHA!!!!!!! It's been a while!! How has everyone been? I'm sorry about the wait on this chapter!! I have been crazy busy and almost lost motivation halfway through for finishing this chapter, but I promise, I WILL finish this AU! I'm working on a new project for a Star Wars AU for Love Live!, but that's been low on my priority list. During the holiday season coming up close, I'll be fitting in more writing along with more of the silly videos I do on my Youtube. I'll also hopefully start up Bloody Days again, since I want to finish it. I'm terribly sorry for the long hiatus for those who enjoyed it!! I promise that I'll finish it one day!! 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and I hope to see you in the next adventure! ♥


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Aqua, you have to wake up…”_
> 
>  
> 
> _“This wouldn’t have happened if you went after her!”_
> 
>  
> 
>  _“Aqua please, **please** , wake up.”_
> 
>  
> 
> _“Aqua, you have wake up. Eraqus is going mad.”_

\--  
Aqua slowly opened her eyes, the smell of soot and ash still mingled with her senses, and warmth came from a blanket overtop of her. Her head was pounding, and her vision was wobbly. 

She blinked once, twice, three times, before her sight cleared up, and she realized she was back at home. But didn’t she go after her father? Is everyone okay?

Aqua threw her legs over the bedside, holding onto the bed’s posts for support. She looked into her vanity mirror, a bandage was wrapped around her head, under her hair. The gauze was dyed a light crimson color, and Aqua reached up to investigate, before snatching her hand away from the pain. She still wore her outfit from that same day, yet portions were covered with black smudges, which explains the smell of soot. 

Aqua stepped over to the door, gently turning the doorknob. She entered the hallway, starting her way down the stairs. The voices of men carried their way up into the stairwell, and she froze for a moment. Almost all of the voices, that she could take from the discussion, were familiar to her. 

She met to the entrance of the parlor, and inside was where the heavy discussion carried on. It was until she made herself noticeable to anyone in the room, was when it went dead silent. Eyes wandered over her, and she felt out of place. 

Eraqus, Terra, the man with fiery red hair, and a man with absurd pink hair, were gathered around a pile of papers on the coffee table. Glasses of alcohol, most likely _Bärenfang_ (her father’s favorite liquor), had been passed around, as one rested in the pink-haired man’s grasp. Bandages covered Eraqus’s left cheek, reaching just below his eye, and another above his right eyebrow. His expression was cross between relief and anger, yet Aqua couldn’t contain her own respite, and a smile flooded her cheeks. 

“You’re alive!” she cried, leaping in her father's direction. She sank into his arms, wrapping her own around his form. Nothing could’ve made her happier. 

“I’m glad to see that you’re alright, Aqua.” Eraqus smiled softly, gently kissing the top of her head. “I was more concerned about you.” 

Aqua pulled away, observing the bandages on his face, and her expression changed in an instant. “What happened to you?! Why are you hurt?” 

“You know, blueberry,” The red-haired man, spoke up, his back lounged against the love seat, and his arms stretched to meet the back. “If it weren’t for me, or my friend, Marluxia,” he paused for a moment, raising a hand to the man with long, shaggy, pink hair. “You and your father would probably be dead.” 

Marluxia groaned, slugging back a glass of alcohol. “We are not friends, _mon cher_.” he carried a heavy French accent in his voice, and he brushed back the hair from his eyes. “I work with your father, undercover, mostly, and I helped him out of our work after the bombs hit.” 

Aqua nodded, taking a seat in an empty wing back next to the fire. “You’re very courageous, thank you.” she gave him a small smile, before turning to the red-haired man. “Am I allowed to know your name now? Or is that too dangerous?” 

Terra hadn’t said a word since Aqua came into the parlor, and without her, or anyone realizing, he had slipped out of the room. 

The red man grinned, pointing to where Terra once stood. “No one in all of Europe is as dangerous as Terra Erde.” 

“Except for that one Spanish fellow in Italy.” Eraqus added, taking a seat next to Marluxia. 

“Yeah, they’re in some deep shit.” the redhead shrugged, returning his gaze to Aqua. “Anyway, as for me, you can call me Lea, or _Flamesman_ , or _Heats_ , or whatever you want.”

Aqua furrowed her brow, gently nodding. “It’s nice to finally know your name, Lea.” she turned to Marluxia, meeting his gaze for the split second. “And you as well, Marluxia.” 

“It’s all in a day's work, dear. Nothing that I couldn’t handle.” Marluxia playfully winked, sticking his tongue out slightly. “We’re all relieved that you made a timely recovery.” 

Aqua frowned, turning away from his flirtatious actions. “What… Exactly happened to me?” she asked, combing her fingers through her hair. Just after she asked this, she realized that Terra had left the room, and she didn’t know where he went. 

“Long, tan, and handsome let you run out after a raid,” Lea crossed his arms, sinking even further into the sofa. “Then, from what I can only assume, you ran off to find Eraqus, and I found you collapsed outside on the steps to his workplace.” he sighed.

“It wasn’t his fault.” Aqua’s brow lowered, and her expression darkened. “Terra has done nothing but keep me safe, but I begged him to let me go. I had to know if papa was okay.” 

Lea raised an eyebrow, a grin forming on his cheeks. “You really don’t know when to be inconspicuous, do you?” he pulled a cigarette out, pulling a lighter from the same pocket. 

“Not in my house you won’t.” Eraqus spat, looking up from his papers. “Take your filthy habit outside. I won’t have you poisoning us with those death-rods.” The old man’s eyes narrowed, and he stared right at Lea. 

Lea groaned, standing from his place on the sofa. “Aye, _Sergeant Meister_. I’ll go smoke outside.” he narrowed his eyes, laughing. 

“Call me that one more time, and you’ll never be able to use your legs again.” 

Lea was halfway out of the room by the time his threat made weight. Eraqus watched him leave the room and into the kitchen, and waited for the close of the back door to return to his papers. Aqua pursed her lips, leaning over to look at her father.

“Papa… You weren’t really going to hurt him, were you?” she asked. 

Eraqus didn’t look up from his work. “Don’t underestimate your father, young lady.” 

Aqua briskly rested back into the cushion of the armchair, feeling as if she was just scolded. Her eyes wandered around for a bit, finally settling back on the mysterious pink-haired man, observing as he seemed to be transcribing something. 

“Marluxia?” 

The man quickly glanced up, smiling softly. “Yes, Aqua? What is it, _cher_?” he widened his smile, returning to his work. 

“Are you from France? I can hear your accent, and it makes me think of the feeling of a rose petal. Although, you’re the first Frenchman I’ve seen in awhile.” Aqua explained, pulling her hair to the side. 

Marluxia nodded, laughing. “ _Oui, Oui_ , I am from France. But I haven’t been to my homeland in over three years.” he looked sick from saying such things, but he didn’t stop. “It’s the war, you see. I have a very dear friend of mine who still lives an hour out of Paris.” 

Aqua’s eyes brightened. “Paris? I’ve always dreamed of going to Paris.” 

“It truly is a beautiful city, darling. Although I do not know how well it is nowadays. With the Nazi occupation, I don’t know. I guess I am too afraid to face my people.” Marluxia stopped talking immediately, returning to his transcribing. 

“I’m sorry you feel that way.” Aqua lowered her head, feeling a wave of exhaustion come back to her. “But, I think you are very strong to fight for your country. You are fighting to defend your home, although you may not be wearing a soldier’s uniform, you work for what you want your country to be. It takes an incredible amount of strength to do that.” she smiled gently, closing her eyes. 

Silence filled the empty echoes left in the room, but Aqua could feel the eyes of others on her. She believed that what her father and his colleagues did, was good. They fought for their beliefs, their rights, and to protect innocent people. She admired them. She wanted to have the courage and strength they did. 

Aqua rubbed her eyes, yawning softly. “I think it is time for me to return back to bed.” she said, standing from her chair. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Marluxia, and I hope you find the peace you are looking for.” 

Marluxia tore his gaze from his work, nodding. “ _Merci_ , Aqua. Sleep well.” 

“I’ll see you later today, Aqua.” Eraqus told her, giving a small smile to her. “Sweet dreams.” 

Aqua returned his smile. “Don’t stay up all night now, papa. You and the rest of your acquaintances should get some sleep.” she went to the doorway. “ _Jó pihenést_.”

She slowly made her way back upstairs, entering her room once again, and closed her door. Aqua undressed, and slipped into a much more comfortable nightgown. She fiddled with the bandage wrapped around her head, and carefully unraveled it. Another gauze pad rested on her forehead, and she peeled it off, revealing a gash the length of her thumb. 

Aqua decided to let it breathe, pulling her hair back from it, and observing it closely. As she was doing so, a delicate knock at the door caught her attention. She let her hair down, concealing the unflattering wound with her fringe. 

“Come in,” 

In walked Terra, his head was lowered, and he shut the door behind himself. He didn’t say anything for a moment, and he took a deep breath, almost bracing himself for something. 

Aqua watched him, waiting for anything to rise from his throat. Her eyes patiently awaiting something. 

“Are you alright, Terra?” She got tired of waiting. Her arms crossed. 

“I don’t think I should be here anymore.” He said simply, his voice hoarse. Terra lifted his head, but he didn’t make eye contact with her. “I let you put yourself in danger, and I couldn’t bear to see you get hurt.” 

Aqua furrowed her brow, her face going pale. “You can’t leave again, you’ve only just got here!” she uncrossed her arms, taking a step towards him. “Terra, I’m not hurt…” 

“Aqua, you could have died. I can’t let that happen to you. You have your father and Ven, you’re not going to die anytime soon.” he exhaled, his shoulders stiffening. He was observing the set of barrettes that he had gotten for her so long ago, although it really was not so long ago. “I can’t let you die. I will die for you.” 

She shook her head, feeling a weight plummet onto her. “How will you protect me if you’re dead?” her eyes sank to the ground, and she rested against her bedframe. “You want to do all of these things for me, but I don’t think you understand the consequences.” 

“I understand more than you know, Aqua.” 

“Then stop running from me!” Aqua cried, slamming her hand against her mattress. She shook her head, feeling like that was all she could do at the moment. A cold, sickly wave of nausea ran over her, and she folded her hands over her heart. 

Terra now was focused on Aqua, his hands stationary at his side and his lips in a tight line. He felt defeated, almost useless. “Do you love me?”

“I don’t know.” 

“You don’t know? What kind of answer is that?” he asked, unsure if he was upset or not. 

Aqua didn’t return his question. She instead rested against her bed, waiting for him to get tired and leave. Her eyes didn’t look at him, and her arms were crossed against her chest. The tension in the air was thick, and Aqua just wanted to rest. She was tired of his questions. 

As soon as Terra realized she wasn’t going to answer, he nodded. “I understand you want to rest. I’m sorry I intruded.” He turned from her, turning the doorknob. “I’ll see you later today, Aqua.” 

“ _Jó éjszakát_ , Terra.” 

The girl waited for him to leave before nesting into bed. She didn’t know why he would come with such a ridiculous thing to say. Her heart felt like fire, and Aqua didn’t know what to do. Tears didn’t feel the need to fall, and screams or cries didn’t wish to leave her throat. The silent anger boiled within her, and something kept her at unrest. 

Was it what he said? Was it the feeling of guilt that began to build up in her chest? 

She just didn’t know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FORGIVE ME FOR NOT UPDATING!!!!!! I have been extremely super-duper busy with the holidays that had just happened and I will probably still be stuck in mud for a little more. I need to get caught up in school this weekend, but once that's done I'll have a set schedule to work on things!!! I might post some other things that I have finished, like my Star Wars AU for Love Live!! or maybe even a few more drabbles that I have written. I don't know though.  
> I'm also trying to expand my fandoms and such, and hopefully have others out as well. I've just been busy as all hell. Forgive me. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and I hope to see you in the next chapter!!!!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aqua couldn’t help herself from scoffing. “You’re such a foolish man, Terra Erde.” She pulled her hair to the side, taking a sip of wine. “You have the entire world to hide, but you choose the most dangerous country in the entire world to do your bidding, and you end up staying because of me.” Her voice cracked, and she faced him. “A younger, perhaps even more foolish girl with strange blue hair. Who is completely terrified of being taken to a death camp because of her odd qualities.” She trailed off, locking eyes with him.
> 
>  
> 
> “You are not odd or strange, Aqua.” Terra gently smiled, reaching out to tuck a strand of Aqua’s hair behind her ear. “You’re a beautiful woman with more strength, love, and compassion than I could ever have. And I admire you to the moon and back for those qualities.”

**December 1941**

Aqua cheered herself up enough for the holidays close by. It was a full two weeks after the air raids and bombings, and a full two weeks after her last argument with Terra. They had maintained their relationship well enough, but she still felt as if she was being pushed away. 

The bombings had destroyed major government buildings and shops and stores, leaving Hamburg scarred until rebuilding could take place. One of the buildings included the theater, which meant Aqua couldn’t return and practice anymore, and a few of her own original scores were destroyed in the fire as well. She eventually accepted the fact that she wouldn’t be able to play...probably until the war is over. 

Aqua was knitting up the rest of a scarf that she was making for Terra, and also sewing on some buttons that had popped off of a few of his shirts. They weren’t able to all celebrate the holidays together, as her father decided to visit Ven up in England, but she was still in a cheerful mood. She occupied herself with simple tasks throughout her home, all while remaining calm about what was happening. 

Aqua finished knitting the scarf for Terra, finding the perfect gift box to put it in. She also folded his shirts that she repaired, and set them on his bed. Before she tucked the scarf away into the gift box, she observed it, proud of her handiwork. The scarf was a light orange wool yarn, which she had custom ordered a while back before the war. She had dozens of other colors of yarn that her father purchased for her, but she decided that orange was the best suited color for him. 

She placed the scarf into the gift box, tieing the lid closed with a brilliant red ribbon. Aqua smiled, nesting the box underneath her bed until Christmas Eve. She stood back up and walked out of her room, gently shutting the door behind herself. The air smelled faintly of tea and fresh bread, and Aqua sighed deeply, taking in the wonderful smells.

Aqua made her way downstairs, turning towards the parlor entrance. Terra was inside, but he looked as if he had fallen asleep. His head was held up by his hand, and his breathing was deep. Aqua stepped lightly into the room, pulling a blanket over his lap. She moved the papers off of the sofa and back onto the coffee table, hoping that gave him more room.

She was surprised he didn’t wake up, but she also realized that he wasn’t getting enough sleep since her father left. As she was leaving the parlor, she thought about what was going to happen to the city, and more importantly, Terra. Aqua had to understand that he could get up and leave at any moment, she just didn’t want him to. She wanted him to stay and hide with her, after all,  her world might just come to an end if he was taken from her.

\---

Christmas Eve had finally come around, and Aqua was thrilled to bits that she could decorate. The decorating made her happier and it took her mind off of the stressful world around herself. The fir tree she had found was rather small, but any tree would make her happy enough. She decided to place the tree on a side table in the parlor, and she dug out the family ornaments from the attic. 

Terra helped decorate with small things here and there, insisting that Aqua should be the one to do the bulk of it. Aqua made him adorn the tree with a few of the glass ornaments, while she hung tinsel on the branches of the miniscule tree. 

Aqua set the boxes aside, and lit a few candles to put above on the mantle of the fireplace. She sat in the middle of the parlor for a few minutes, taking in the spirit of the season, hoping her father and brother were okay. Terra returned to her side holding two glasses of wine, handing one to her as he took a seat beside her. 

He looked on at the fire, remembering how it was only weeks ago when he returned, and how he opened a massive part of his life to Aqua. Terra still didn’t know how she felt, and yet he was twenty-five years old and still unable to decipher his feelings after these years with her. 

 

“Thank you for spending this time with me,” Aqua looked at him, smiling softly. She noticed his expression, unable to tell what he was trying to say. “What is wrong?” she turned to face him, wrapping her hand around his. 

He didn’t say anything, not wanting to ruin the mood. His eyes just loomed ahead.

Aqua let out a deep breath. “You’re thinking about when you’re going to leave again. Is that what it is?” she asked, her gaze falling to the rug. She wasn’t upset, not angry, she was just disappointed. 

“Aqua, as much as I want to resist the thought, I can’t. I’m afraid of leaving you here,” Terra rested his back against the sofa. “If I leave you here, something could happen while I’m gone. You could do something I don’t want you to do, I’m just afraid.”

“You’re stronger than this Terra.” Aqua took her hand from him, holding the wineglass in both of her hands. She closed her eyes. “You _could_ take me with you, but I can’t leave papa.” 

Terra shook his head, running a hand through his hair. “I engage in dangerous activities when I’m not here, Aqua, and I’m wanted in over 10 countries here in Europe. I couldn’t risk getting either of us hurt.” He glanced at her briefly, staring back into the fire. 

Aqua couldn’t help herself from scoffing. “You’re such a foolish man, Terra _Erde_.” She pulled her hair to the side, taking a sip of wine. “You have the entire world to hide, but you choose the most dangerous country in the entire _world_ to do your bidding, and you end up staying because of me.” Her voice cracked, and she faced him. “A younger, perhaps even more foolish girl with strange blue hair. Who is completely terrified of being taken to a death camp because of her odd qualities.” She trailed off, locking eyes with him. 

“You are not odd or strange, Aqua.” Terra gently smiled, reaching out to tuck a strand of Aqua’s hair behind her ear. “You’re a beautiful woman with more strength, love, and compassion than I could ever have. And I admire you to the moon and back for those qualities.” 

“Terra…” Aqua leaned into his hand, closing her eyes. 

Terra set his wineglass aside, taking Aqua’s from her as well. He then pulled her closer, leaning just close enough for their lips not to be touching. “What is it?” he whispered. 

_“Küss mich.”_

He did as asked, pressing their lips together. Aqua’s hands wrapped up around his neck, and she sank in closer to him. She let the kiss go on for a moment or so, then realized what she had done. She pulled back, feeling her face heat up and gasping for breath. 

 

“We… can’t do…this-” Aqua murmured, her eyes still closed. 

Terra shook his head. “I can’t wait for you anymore.” He fell back into her lips, basking in the wonderful feeling of her lips with his. 

Aqua’s lips were so soft and smooth, and the gentle wave of the red wine she had just had still lingered on her tongue. Her hands ran up into his hair, and she fell deeper into his embrace. 

She let go of him, eyes still closed, heart still pounding. “Please don’t leave me,” she whispered, resting her forehead against his. 

“I can’t promise you that.” 

Aqua kissed him one last time. “I know.” she  rested her head on his shoulder, feeling his grasp around her waist loosen for a moment. 

Terra sighed deeply into her hair, breathing in her wonderful scents. Something inside of him wanted to tell her that he wasn’t going to be around in a few days, but he would curse himself for years to come if he made her upset. This time he knew he was going to be gone for a few years. Things have just gotten so bad… That it was eventually going to come to this. He had to make this last… He just had to. 

“You should probably go upstairs to bed, Aqua. It’s getting late.” Terra pulled back from her, softly stroking her hair. “I’ll follow you up after I’ve turned all of the lights out.” 

Aqua smiled. “Terra, you are always concerned about me…” she shook her head. “But...I guess we’re both bad with that.” 

Terra stood up, taking Aqua’s hands in his and helping her off of the floor. “Don’t worry about me Aqua. I’ll be okay, I promise you.” His tone was firm, yet his expression was gentle.

She nodded, walking around the sofa. “Good night Terra, _Fröhliche Weihnachten_ ” Aqua’s lips curled to a smile for a split second, but her expression melted into concern. “I-I love you-” she seemed surprised that those words came out of her own mouth, and Terra was just as surprised. Aqua fled from the foyer, dashing upstairs before she could embarrass herself anymore. 

Terra didn’t know how long he was standing in the parlor just staring at the wall. His mind became a disaster, and his ears couldn’t comprehend anything. The words that she said replayed, and replayed, and replayed on and on in his head. It was a goddamn surreal feeling. To love someone and to have their love in return was so jarring to him, that he only wished that it could be like this for so long.

\--

Aqua had fallen right to sleep that night, and she felt safe for the first time in years. A weight had been lifted off her shoulders, although something still picked at her heart. Her heart woke her up bright and early that morning, making sure she had set Terra’s gift under the tree last night. 

She stretched, hearing a commotion coming from downstairs. Aqua didn’t think much of it, and she got dressed, wearing a green dress that she had made herself. Of course she kept a simple long sleeved button-down underneath, and the usual barrette was snapped into her hair. She checked the nasty scar that was under her fringe, and it seemed to be healed completely. It was still rather ugly, but Aqua ignored that fact and opened the door to go downstairs. 

The noises from minutes ago had ceased, and Aqua slowly walked down the stairs. The doors into the room to the left was closed, but she didn’t even think to open it. Aqua instead walked into the kitchen and put water on to boil for some tea. She didn’t know where Terra was, but she figured he was alright on his own. She knew in her heart that he didn’t leave for another extended trip, and instead knew that he was still in town. 

An hour had passed before the front door opened, a chilly draft of air blowing into the kitchen. Aqua stood from the kitchen table, putting down the teapot back on the table for the tea to steep for her second pot. She stepped into the foyer, excited to see Terra removing his coat and hat. 

“Terra!” she cried, running to him. “ _Fröhliche Weihnachten,_ Terra!” Aqua wrapped her arms around him, giving him a big hug. She was far too into the holiday spirit. 

Terra smiled, returning her greeting. “Good morning, Aqua. _Fröhliche Weihnachten_ to you as well.” he leant down, kissing the top of her head. “I have something for you-”

“As do I!” Aqua turned up to meet his eyes. “Here, it’s in the parlor.” She took his hands, leading him to the love seat and sat him down. She pulled the gift box from under the small fir, and handed it to him. 

He couldn’t help but feel bad that she got him something… It must’ve been a thing with men or something. “Aqua, you didn’t need to get me anything. Just being here is more than enough.” 

Aqua pursed her lips. “You and papa always have the same exact excuses! Everyone deserves to have something given to them.” she sat next to him, pouting. “If you don’t open it, then I won’t accept my gift from you!” 

Terra nodded, rolling his eyes. “Alright, alright! I’ll open it!” he gave her one quick glance before pulling the lid off of the top. He reached inside pulling out the scarf she made. “Aqua… It’s beautiful. Did you make this?” He marveled at the wool scarf.

She nodded, giddy with excitement. “I thought that the light orange would go nicely with your eyes, and I guess I was right.” Aqua folded her hands over her lap. “Do you like it?” 

“I love it, Aqua. Thank you.” 

Terra ran his hands over the soft wool, and Aqua thought he was going to cry. He sure looked like he was. 

“I’ll be sure to wear it whenever I can. Thank you, Aqua.” He set the box aside, gently resting the scarf back inside. Terra turned to her, squeezing her hand. “I hope you’ll love my gift just as much as I love yours. It took a little bit to get here, but I finally was able to get everything done last night for it.” 

Aqua smiled softly. “I’ll adore it. Thank you.” She glanced around him, looking for the gift box. “Where is it?” 

Terra stood her from her seat, pulling her back into the foyer. He stood right at the closed doors to the left tea room. “It’s in here. But you have to close your eyes.” His hands held onto hers, and she gave him a look. “It’s what will make it, I promise.” 

Aqua did as he said, closing her eyes. “You must’ve really put a lot of time into this if you want it to be this big of a surprise, Terra.” 

Terra waved a hand in front of her face, making sure she wasn’t able to see. He let go of her hands, sliding the doors open. “Are you ready, Aqua?” He took her hands again, pulling her a step of the way into the room. 

Aqua nodded, excitement and anticipation finally beginning to boil over in her heart. 

“Open your eyes.” 

She opened her eyes, and they immediately went wide. Before herself was something she had only dreamed of. Her hands reached up to her mouth, covering it before any gasps could escape. 

Her gift was a grand piano, sleek and black with untouched keys and a matching stool. Blank sheet music was laid out on the piano’s top, along with another portfolio. 

Aqua was in shock. Her mind couldn’t process anything and her body was stiff. “Terra… I-I don’t know what to say,” she forced herself to look at him, and she felt tears swell up in her eyes. “You made my dreams come true… I don’t know what to do.” 

Terra nodded, a smile unable to leave his cheeks. “It was too big to fit into a giftbox, and I didn’t think to put a ribbon on it or anything.” He glanced at the piano. “I thought you would love it the way it is now.”

She felt a tear run down her cheek. “It’s perfect…” her voice cracked. “Why did you get this for me?” Aqua wasn’t sure why he would spend all of this money on her, considering pianos were expensive!

“I had a goal set since I first saw your incredible savings jar on top of your icebox, those many years ago...” He wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I wanted to make your dreams true, and I couldn’t let you wait until the end of time until you could play your own piano again.” Terra looked back at the piano. “I want you to have everything you want, Aqua. I love you so much, and I want you to be happy.” 

Aqua nodded, falling into a hug in his arms. She nodded over and over again, feeling overwhelmed in all of the best ways. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she cried, weeping into his shirt. “You’ve made everything okay again. I love you so much!” Aqua turned up to face him, leaving a kiss on his lips. She had reached up on the tips of her toes to reach his face, and she began to lose balance after a moment. 

Terra caught her before she fell over, pulling back from her. He smiled at her, smoothing her hair. “Can you play for me now?” 

She stepped away from him, nodding. “Of course I will.” her voice was no higher than a whisper. Aqua pulled away from him, stepping next to her very own piano. She carefully lifted the key cover, sliding the stool out from underneath, and sitting on it. A smile curled to her lips, and she tested the pedals, and the keys. “I just have to make sure everything is okay before I start,” she quickly laughed. 

Terra smiled. “Take your time.” He sat down on a wingback chair next to the window, directly across from Aqua. “I’m ready whenever you are, _sevgili_.” he blinked slowly, resting his hands over his lap. 

Aqua took a deep breath, taking her hair to the side. Slowly but surely, a melody began to play from the piano. Her eyes had closed, and it seemed that she was focused only on the movement of the music. Pedals shifted but made little to no sound as she stepped down on them. Her fingers began to go faster, only for moments in the melody. 

Terra had never heard the song being played. He figured it was either an original song, or she was just playing it on a whim, which was pretty damn good. 

The tone in the song shifted frequently, and it wouldn’t stay in a specific one for more than a minute. It was hauntingly beautiful, and there were little to no words to describe it. Terra was beyond amazed

After about four minutes or so, Aqua slowly wrapped up the tune. Her eyes opened, and she found herself waiting for critisim. She was staring at Terra, smiling softly. “I don’t know where that melody came from,” Aqua laughed. “I just played along until I felt it was good to stop.” 

“Aqua that was incredible… I’m at a loss for words.” Terra stood up, walking over to her. “You’re brilliant.” 

Aqua felt her face heat up, and she smiled sheepishly. “I’m not _that_ good yet, but I’ll agree with you to appease everyone” she ran her fingers over a key or two. “I appreciate it, Terra.”  She stood up, brushing her skirt off. 

Terra met right to her front, and he pulled her in, resting his head atop of hers. “Please don’t be upset with me, Aqua.” he closed his eyes. 

“Why would I be upset with you, Terra? You’ve made so many things right…” 

He sighed. “I’m leaving in two days.” Terra gently pushed her back, wanting to look into her eyes. “A man I know needs to see me. He’s just near the border of Spain, but I just don’t know how long he’ll need me.” 

Aqua’s eyes fell to the floor. She took a deep breath. “Things have gotten much worse out there, you have to be careful.” she kept her voice low. “I don’t want you coming back in pieces.” 

“I didn’t last time.”

“I know… I’m just worried about you.” 

“I’ll be fine, Aqua.” Terra reassured her, turning her chin up so he could see her face. “As long as you’re here waiting for me, I’ll always come back.” He lent down, leaving a kiss on her lips. 

 

\--

 

For the next two days, not much had happened. 

Aqua helped Terra in whatever way she could before he had to depart, and she had to keep herself from breaking. Goodbyes _were_ the hardest part of leaving, and it was her least favorite thing to do. 

She didn’t want to believe that he could be gone for another few years on end. So many things could happen in a year, and something in her heart dreaded the feeling of the future. But it was his job, and he had to keep going. 

Terra somehow felt the same way. They didn’t exchange their thoughts about the future to each other, but Terra could feel something coming. He wasn’t afraid, no, and he wasn’t afraid about his trip. He was afraid of losing Aqua to the Nazis, or himself being taken by the Gestapo for his crimes and not being able to be there for her. He was afraid for _her_ well-being. Not his own. 

Although he did not know what all the Gestapo did to their prisoners, but he knew they were malicious and evil. He knew a man who just might be able to give him some insight about it, or they could at least sit down for a conversation about it. Terra just didn’t know where to find the man in the first place. 

It eventually came to their goodbye, and the two stood before each other, their expressions worrisome and tired. Aqua’s hands were folded neatly in front of herself, and she gazed at him, a gentle smile on her lips. Terra stood in front of the door, his hand wrapped tightly around the only bag he had, and he watched her. 

“It’s time for me to go, Aqua.” Terra started the goodbye. “I’ll miss you.” 

Aqua’s smile broke into a frown. She kept back any and all tears that threatened her. Her brow pinched together and she choked back a sob, gritting her teeth. “I don’t want to say goodbye… But I have to.” she said, cheeks beginning to flush red. 

“I know, Aqua… But everything will be okay. I promise you.” He tried to reassure her. “I’ll be back as soon as I can, and then we can be together again.” 

Aqua walked to his front, wrapping her arms around him. She rested her head against his chest, listening closely for his heartbeat. “Please come back with this same heart, so I know it’s you.” her voice was no higher than a whisper, but it echoed in the silent house. She looked back up at him, and she reached up, caressing his cheek. “Kiss me one last time before you leave.”

He leant down, kissing her as requested. A moment passed, and he pulled back. “I love you, Aqua.” He murmured, inches from her lips. 

And with that, Terra left. He walked out the front door, shutting it behind himself, and left without another turn of his head. He couldn’t look back. It was time for him to find some way to end this war.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hoot hoot christmas train. Sorry about the abrupt christmas time feelings but i didnt really know how else to incorporate the whole "hey terra just bought me a grand piano" thing without it being like super weird. Also first kisses!!! ALSO ALSO another time skip. so I should have another chapter up ASAP. Also it's gonna be from Terra's perspective so we can see what happens behind the scenes i guess. (i'm sorry i am very tired school is stressful as all hell) I apologize for the TERRAble formatting on this one. I'm too tired to go in and italicize and bold stuff via HTML, which I usually do. 
> 
> the song i imagined that Aqua played: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XorynbzZQpI (yes its a homestuck song but i dont care about homestuck anymore i care about this) 
> 
> Thanks for reading and I'll see you in the next chapter!!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m staying away from her out of love, mother.” Terra narrowed his eyes. “Now that Fernández is out of the game, I took his place as most wanted. I’m who they’re looking for now.” He almost lost his temper, but he remained calm...for the most part. “I’m not returning to her so quickly because they will take her too. And if they took her…” Terra faced his mother, staring right at her. “I wouldn’t know what to do.”

**Summer 1943**  
**Near Marseille, France**

Terra sighed, taking another drink of wine. 

Before him was a woman with bright blonde hair, serving him a boring plate of food. Her eyes were a vibrant atomic green, and her lips covered in a shade of cherry red. She was another informant, but didn’t work for cheap. She never told her name to her clients, only going by _The Nymph_. 

For her normal life; she ran a bar, serving hundreds of German soldiers that were stationed in the port city, or whatever was left of it. They were too busy to even bother with whom the bar owner was, she just went by a French name, and they just assumed that she was. The soldiers just wanted to drink or eat, and it was all the same everyday. The woman promised that if Terra paid her, she would keep him from the Germans. 

Terra stayed in her home, laying low and keeping himself out of trouble. He had been near Marseille since he left Italy, having a chat with an old friend, for what he felt like it would the last time. He didn’t drink himself silly all the time anymore, but instead kept a night set aside when he would do that. A single night was better than all of the time. 

Only portions of the port city of Marseille remained, after being bombed by the Italians and Germans only two years previous to Terra’s arrival. The city was in ruins, thousands of people were either homeless, or their homes were damaged from the bombings. All of the Jewish citizens were moved out, and were placed in holding camps until they were to be taken to Poland. It was a nightmare. 

He was running more trips for the Allies than he was for the Nazis, knowing if he stepped one foot into the wrong area, he would be dead. Terra insisted he stay in Marseille for as long as he had, somehow still shaken by the conversation he had with the Spaniard. But he couldn’t think about that now. He had to get his work in shape so he could return to Aqua. 

Terra picked his fork through the disgusting potato and vegetable… _something_ that was handed to him. He groaned, praying for himself to remember the delicious food Aqua cooked for him that last month that he stayed with her. Which was almost two years ago…

A radio in the corner of the kitchen played a French airwave station, and after a short message from the broadcaster, they began to play a song. It was a much different song than those that played in other countries, about waiting for their love to return from the war, and cherishing the moments they had with another. The lyrics were all French, and from what Terra could tell from the song, the singer was literally begging for her beloved to come back, begging for days, hours, and even minutes to be back with their loved one.

The refrain of the singer saying _“Mon Dieu…”_ over and over again, was what he guessed to be the title, and he tried to listen along the rest of the way, until he was spaced out completely. It was a deep song, and yet… He couldn’t help but compare himself and Aqua to the song.

“Are you going to eat it or not?” the woman whined, sitting across from Terra, stabbing her own fork into a plate of her own mush. “It ain’t perfect, but at least you’re eating.” she wiped her mouth with a napkin, crumbling it back up in her hand. 

Terra stuck his nose up. “I’m trying, Larxene. I really am.” he took a bite, swallowing it hard down his throat. An extremely pitiful smile wound to his face, and he held a thumb up. “Delicious.” 

Larxene rolled her eyes. “I’m sorry, old man, but it's all I got. I’m saving the good food until I _really_ get desperate.” she said with a long drawn out sigh, almost like it had gotten this bad before. 

“Stop calling me old man. I’m not even three years older than you.” 

She shrugged, brushing her hair to the side. “Think of it this way, Turk,” Larxene stuffed another bite of food in her mouth. “One, I’m feeding you,” she talked though a full mouth. “Two, at least I have alcohol to wash it down with.” She finished her bite, picking up her wineglass and raising it to him. 

“To having a shitty job-” 

Terra took his wineglass, raising it up and tapping it against hers. He paused for a moment, noticing how the food looked awful, but had amazing flavor. “To our shitty jobs.” Before he gulped down any wine, he realized the bitter feeling of guilt in his chest. 

He glanced at Larxene, feeling his brow pinch together. “How did you get into this line of work?” Terra asked, resting his elbow against the tabletop. He needed a break from the strange meal. 

Larxene didn’t say anything at first, giving Terra a long look of _“Please don’t ask me that.”_ before shaking her head. “Haven’t I told you this sob-story?” 

“No.” 

She stiffened, letting go of her silverware. Larxene sat straight against the wooden chair, her fingers combing through her hair. “Well, y’know how the Great War ravaged through parts of Germany, yeah?” she didn’t move her eyes. Terra nodded immediately in response, crossing his arms across his chest. 

“My hometown was included.” Larxene narrowed her eyes, pausing. “I fled from the country, settling down here in Marseille. I basically got caught with the wrong people at the wrong time,” she sighed. “A young man who goes by nothing but the name of Void Gear was exchanging information to members of the _blackshirts_ , a name we all know.” 

Terra nodded. “I’ve met with more than I’d like to remember.” 

Larxene cleared her throat, setting her napkin aside. “Void Gear noticed me first, his eyes went wide but remained calm for his mission. He exchanged the envelope, hastily speaking German to try and get the fuck out. But a blackshirt had found me cowering behind the bar, as I was hiding from police who were pursuing me from a robbery.” Her tone darkened, eyes fleeing to the tabletop. “I was pulled up by the hair, and I was terrified after committing my first robbery and being caught by men I hadn’t known. The man pulled me around the barside, still tugging on my hair. He asked me if I was working with Void Gear, I was hysterical and told them the truth.” Larxene paused, waiting a moment to gather her thoughts. 

“They didn’t believe me, so they pulled a gun to my head.” She smiled, turning her gaze back to Terra. “They didn’t know I had a gun either, so I kicked the man, knocking his feet from below him, and shot him dead. Void Gear had taken care of the other men that were beside him, taking the document back and stuffing it under his jacket. He pulled me out of the bar, and took me back to his hideout. We agreed to work together, and he taught me hand-to-hand combat.” 

Terra shrugged. “That’s it?” he asked, scooping up more of the mushy food onto his fork, and stuffed it into his mouth. 

Larxene shook her head, wiggling a finger. “I was asked at the beginning of the New War, to be a personal bodyguard to Adolf Hitler, a man I had never heard of before. I did some snooping, and discovered that he was to create havoc upon millions of innocent people. I refused.” she grinned, her eyes narrowing with her smile. “They sent men out to kill me. I killed them. I made a new name for myself and forged documents so I could be free. I dyed my hair, and here I am.” 

The Turk sighed. “At least you’re lucky not to be the second most wanted man in Europe.” 

“WO-man, my dear Terra. I am no man.” Larxene smiled, taking a few more bites of food. She looked at the table, clearing her throat. “At this point, you might be pushed to number one. That Spaniard doesn’t have much left in him.” 

“Don’t say that. He’ll be fine. He’s a courageous man.” Terra chewed at the words, wondering if he was right.

Moments passed by, and nothing but the clicking of nails against the table could be heard. Larxene was staring straight at Terra, and her eyes soon fell back to the table. 

“I have something for you to take back to Eraqus in Hamburg, and that silly girl you love so much.” Larxene broke the silence, standing from the table and taking her plate, and Terra’s plate, from the table. “It has information pertaining the Allies, and what their next move will be. I also have other information about Eraqus himself.” She took their plates to the sink, standing with her back to Terra. 

“Alright, I’ll collect it later-” 

“Terra,” Larxene kept her head low. “You shouldn’t go back into Germany. It's far too dangerous for a man like you.” 

Terra frowned. “I have to.” he murmured. “I have to return to her. I’ve been gone far too long.” 

“You will be captured and handed to the Gestapo.” 

“You can’t be so sure, Larxene. I know my way around Hamburg, and I know my way around Germany. I won’t be captured.” 

Larxene turned around. “If not you, then her.” She raised her voice. “They’ll torture her until she tells them where you are. They’ll do any method given to their disposal. I know them, Terra. They’ll kill anyone you love.” 

Terra quickly pushed his chair out, standing from the table. “No they won’t!” He shouted, startling Larxene. “Don’t you dare put her into this! She’s been through more than you’d think, and being taken by the Gestapo will _never_ be one of the things she’ll go through.” 

Larxene turned, staring at the dishes. She sighed, shaking her head. “I hope you’re right, old man. It would be a damn shame if you got taken by them. But,” She paused, smiling. “You can bet your ass that I’ll be there to break you out.” 

Terra didn’t say anything. He didn’t want her to be right, but something in his heart knew that she was. His eyes fell to the floor, and he slumped down into a chair. The Gestapo were working at an all-time high now, and they were hunting all informants down on a wild goose chase, but they didn’t just stop there. They had gotten their hands on a Dutch man Terra and his group of informants had known, his business name being nothing but “Lexicon”, and the Gestapo tortured him. No one had heard or seen from him since, but his supposed lover was frantically finding a way to break him out of his prison, only for them to be thrown in as well.

The Turk had the wrong mindset now, knowing that if the Gestapo had one, they might go after the other. He had to wait. Even as much as he wanted to see Aqua again, he just had to calm himself down. 

Maybe it was time to go see his mother again.

\--

**Spring, 1944**  
**Erde Residence, Switzerland**

It had been a while since Terra was home. He waited a little bit longer out in France before shooting straight to Switzerland. He couldn’t believe it had been almost five years since he was back, and he was sure his mother was going to be waiting for him. 

Word had traveled fast from Italy, that the famous Spaniard had finally been captured by the Nazis, not even months after Terra had spoken to him. It did more than bother him. It almost scared him. That meant they were after him next, and he wasn’t ready to give up his freedom yet. 

As he walked along the rolling hills to his safe haven, the thoughts kept pounding against his head. He had to clear his mind before seeing his mother. She knew almost everything. She would see right through him, getting right to the problem at hand, and he couldn’t have that. From the bottom of the hill, he spotted the roof of the swiss country chalet he found for his mother, a sigh of relief leaving him.

His mother had already been through enough as is, she couldn’t bear to lose her only other son. 

Soon enough, Terra met to the front gate of the yard, unlatching it and pushing it open. He could see the neatly maintained flowers and vegetable gardens, and the smell of flowers calmed his nerves. He stepped inside. Immediately, cats crawled out from plants and bushes, meowing and whining for attention. A few came to Terra’s sides, brushing up against his legs, and he bent down to pet them. There were even more cats than he remembered. 

“Mr. Terra! You’re home!” 

He looked up, finding a girl sweeping the front porch of the chalet. She waved to him, setting the broom down and running to his front. The girl was small, her hair a short black bob and her skin was a lovely deep tan, almost like Terra’s. She had blue eyes, and she wore a simple button-down with a high-waisted skirt. Terra was immediately reminded of the first time he met Aqua.

“Might I ask who you are? I don’t remember seeing you around last time,” Terra smiled, pulling the strap of his satchel back over his shoulder. 

The girl nodded, smiling in return. “My name is Xion Flores, Mrs. Erde brought me in to stay.” her smile fell a little. “You see, I’m a refugee from the town of _Guernica_ , Spain. I was only nine years old when it happened… But…” Xion’s brow knit together, her eyes leaving Terra’s form. 

“The scars last a lifetime.” Terra finished.

The two went silent for a moment, the meowing from the cats, and the sound of the spring breeze filled the gaps for conversation. Terra shook his head, only imagining what Xion went through to get here. He smiled, picking up a cat, handing it to her. 

“When did my mother let you in? You weren’t here when I was here the last time.” Terra changed the subject, hoping she wouldn’t be sad. 

Xion looked back up, scratching the cat’s chin. She started to walk off near the house, still carrying the cat. “Mrs. Erde let me in about a month after you left… I think?” she turned to Terra, walking backwards a few steps. “Your mother is so nice. Thank you for letting me stay with you.”

Terra laughed, following her to the house. “It wasn’t my idea, Xion. My mother _is_ an interesting woman.” he stuffed his hands in his pockets. “You learned German?” 

She nodded. “Mrs. Erde taught me. Before I knew only a word or two, but now after four years I’m close to being fluent.” Xion set the cat back down on the ground, letting it run after a bird in the trees. “At least I’m speaking with you, right?” 

“Yes.. This is true. But I would’ve been able to communicate with you in Spanish, as I know my way around the language.” 

Xion stepped up on the porch, turning back to face him. “Your mother is resting upstairs. She was working earlier this morning in the garden, and she wished to have a nap.” 

Terra nodded, climbing the steps onto the porch. He opened the front door, taking way inside. 

The sun room in the front had not changed, the same plants and flowerpots were being maintained, and the cushions on the chairs had the same familiar floral pattern. The wicker furniture was placed exactly as he had remembered, and he noted a few new books on the coffee table top. Terra walked along into the living room, nothing had visibly changed besides for a new radio, and some new blankets folded on top of his mother’s old trunk across from the sofa. 

He set his jacket down on the sofa, climbing the stairs to his room. The picture frames lining the walls to upstairs were of his family, and a new photo he had never seen was on the wall near the end of the staircase. It was of his mother, father, brother and himself; a family portrait in sepia film. He was young in the photo, probably eight or nine, but he didn’t have any recollection of having it done. 

Terra dismissed his nostalgia, continuing to his room upstairs. His room was untouched, everything still in it’s place since his last visit. There were new clean linens lining the bed, and new pillows. Boxes were still hastily stacked in the corner, in front of the closet, still packed from the rush of moving. He remembers not bothering to unpack his own things, clothing and personal belongings still inside. 

Terra tossed his satchel to his desk, the scarf that Aqua knit for him had rolled out from inside, catching his attention. He walked over, running a thumb over the soft wool of the scarf, remembering long weeks in France, when he would wear it for days on end. The memories of being with her flooded back, a smile curling to his lips before he could stop himself. He quickly set the scarf down, hearing footsteps rise from the hallway. 

“Terra? Is that you?” 

Right outside of the doorway stood his mother, her expression was lax, bits of excitement were sprinkled overtop. She had pleasant dark skin like her son’s, eyes a deep blue, and hair a chocolate brown. Her hair was long and pulled to the side, strands of gray started to run from her roots, and her eyes were old and tired, but her figure was well built for her age. She wore a simple green button-down, with a skirt and apron, she looked comfortable to say the least.

She smiled, walking into his room. Her arms wrapped around him, and she took a deep breath. “How have you been, dear? I’ve missed you so much… I was starting to worry about when you would be back next.” She reached up to his face, looking deep into his eyes and brushed his hair back. 

“I’m alright, mom. I promised you that I would make it back alright.” Terra returned her smile, abandoning the German he was speaking for so long to return to Turkish. After all, his mother preferred to speak to him this way. 

His mother stepped up on the tips of her toes, kissing his cheeks. “How have your travels been? Have you returned to that girl you told me about?” She took a seat on his bed, patting a space for him. 

He nodded, taking the seat next to her. “Travelling has gotten harder to do, but I’m surviving. And yes, I went back to Hamburg to see Aqua,” Terra forgot it was four years since he saw his mother. “I stayed for December in ‘41. Aqua and I, celebrated Christmas together while her father was away visiting her brother in England. I then left the 27th…and I haven't been back since.” Terra trailed off. 

His mother sighed, turning to the window. “You’re always putting work first, something you shouldn’t do, Terra. Especially in your… profession. I understand you are working hard, and you are getting paid well… I just don’t want to see you getting hurt. And I have a feeling that your Aqua doesn’t want you to either.” she returned her gaze to her son. “Terra, look at me, please.”

Terra locked eyes with his mother. 

“You have to pace yourself, dear. You would get reckless when you were little, always getting your brother into trouble. And I know you’re a grown man now, but… I just want you to be safe.” His mother closed her eyes, turning halfway. “I would go after those Gestapo myself, and I would kill them if they hurt you.” 

“Mom, I’ll be alright! I promise. I put you here in Switzerland for a reason, so you won’t get hurt. Depending on how long this war is going to continue, I’ll be bringing Aqua and her father down as well.” Terra explained, trying to not imagine his mother storming after the Nazis. “I have a duty to protect people.” 

Terra’s mother couldn’t help but frown. She didn’t say anything for a moment, nodding softly. “Do you really love Aqua, Terra? Do you truly, deeply, love her?” She turned back to face him, folding her hands over her lap. 

He wasn’t expecting this to rise up in conversation, and he couldn’t help but flare up red. “Mom, she’s so incredible. I don’t know what I love so much about her, it could be a list of things, or it could just be all of her… I just don’t know.” He trailed off, staring into the floorboards. “I just know deep down that I do.” 

Mrs. Erde nodded, smiling. “I understand, Terra. You don’t have to tell me everything.” She stood up, holding his hands. “It’s your own business, and I should have no part in your love life.” 

Terra’s brow came together. “Mom, you’re allowed to ask me anything. It’s not like you’re the first who has asked me about this.” He thought of something quick to change the subject, before she did ask anything. “I had been holed up in a pub owned by a friend for the past few years. Right outside of Marseille, in France.” 

Terra’s mother nodded, opening the window. She then turned to the desk, noticing the light orange scarf on the top. “Who made this?” His mother was holding the scarf in her hands, showing it to him. “It’s so soft!” 

“Aqua made that for me. It was her Christmas gift to me.” Terra stood up, digging through his satchel. He pulled out a small metal pill case, opening it. Inside was a dead, dried out, Fuschia flower. The one that Aqua had given to him so many years ago. “She gave this to me a few days after we met in ‘39. I kept it, just in case she would ever forget.” 

“I’m sure she won’t forget, dear. She sounds like a girl who really, truly, cares for you.” Mrs. Erde set his scarf back down, looking away from her son. She took a few steps away from him, watching the floor carefully. “How long are you going to stay here? I don’t want to keep your dear girl waiting in Hamburg.” 

Mrs. Erde faced her son again. “I believe Miss Aqua has been waiting much, much, longer to see you again.” she gave him a bittersweet smile, folding her hands together. “Love can’t wait my dear.” 

Terra didn’t know how to feel. “But I just got here, mom. I haven’t decided when to return to Hamburg-” 

“As much as I would be willing to have you here, I don’t want you to make Aqua waiting. I would not be surprised if she is sitting by the door right now, waiting to see if you would make an appearance.” Her tone had dropped, almost like she was reminded of something. “I know what it is like to wait for the one you love, Terra. It’s agonizing.” His mother clenched her hands into fists. 

“I’m staying away from her out of love, mother.” Terra narrowed his eyes. “Now that Carriedo is out of the game, I took his place as most wanted. I’m who they’re looking for now.” He almost lost his temper, but he remained calm...for the most part. “I’m not returning to her so quickly because they will take her too. And if they took her…” Terra faced his mother, staring right at her. “I wouldn’t know what to do.” 

Mrs. Erde flinched. “Don’t say that. You’ll both be fine-” 

“You don’t know that! I’ve been getting told the same thing by each fucking informant I’ve run into these past few months! The Gestapo won’t just stop there, they’ll go after anyone connected to you!” He stepped forward. “I’m going mad not being able to be with her, mother, I know what it’s like. But I have to accept my responsibilities. I have to take the fucking ropes and pull the consequences along with me.” He was shouting.

The room went dead silent. Winds from the pleasant spring day blew into the room, curtains flying along with it. Terra and his mother were locked in an intense gaze, and after another few moments, the man came to his senses. 

Although, he didn’t say anything first. 

It was his mother. 

“That was your choice.” She said, noticeable tears building up in her eyes, but she powered through the frustrations. “You should’ve known from day one, and even though you’ll tell me you did, like you always have,” Mrs. Erde narrowed her eyes, speaking through grit teeth. “But you will never, or for as long as you keep this up, know how much I tried to keep you from doing this.” 

Terra’s heart sank into his shoes. He didn’t mean for this to happen. He hadn’t seen his mother this upset since they lost his brother and father. “Mom… I-” 

“Enough, Terra!” Her voice cracked, and she turned away from him. “You always wanted to be brave like your father… But you didn’t know that his bravery led to his death. You’re so foolish, Terra.” She looked over her shoulder. “I won’t lose you either. I will not lose anyone else that I love.” 

Terra couldn’t bear to say anything else. He just snapped at his own mother, and the guilt he felt was unimaginable. He didn’t know what it was like to be watching from the outside, but he had a feeling it would be like hearing about his brother dying. 

The silence rose back up, and Terra’s mother walked back to the doorway, turning halfway. She took another long look at her son, slowly closing her eyes. 

“I’ll be starting dinner soon. If you would, please...” she met his eyes. “Please calm down, and join us then.” 

Terra nodded. “Alright.” He grabbed the edge of his desk for support, sighing. 

-

Terra spent another few days in Switzerland, making up with his mother, and taking a few things for Aqua. His mother and Xion took Terra down to the train station in town, giving each other a final goodbye before he departed. 

The man now had a suitcase, instead of his simple satchel. His mother protested and made him take it along, since she forced him to take other clothes along, so he wouldn’t have to wear anyone else's. All of the other papers Terra had collected while in Marseille, were neatly gathered in a folder, also in the suitcase. Now all was left to return back to Hamburg… to Aqua. 

He said his goodbyes to his mother, and a friendly parting to Xion, asking if she would take care of his mother. Then, he boarded the train, waved goodbye and left to his cabin. It was a long ride to Hamburg, he’d better get comfortable. 

\--

 **Spring 1944**

**Hamburg**

It was time to get moving. The train was finally pulling to a stop right outside of Hamburg, and Terra decided that he could walk into town, instead of being bombarded with Nazi soldiers at the train station. If he did, then he would even get caught before he got to Aqua, which he didn’t want to do. He wanted to see her at least one more time before he’s killed somewhere. 

The train’s brakes pulled to a harsh screech, making a pit stop at an old train station. Other people in the train wished to go outside and stretch their legs, or purchase something from the small cafè at the stop. Terra followed along with another short German woman, pulling a hat over his head, while still grappling his suitcase’s handles tightly. The woman didn’t seem phased by anything going on around herself, and she exited the train. 

The German soldiers who were patrolling around the rest stop had gone off to speak to the train’s captain, and were far too preoccupied to check papers or stop anyone. Terra rushed off towards the marshland, starting off to Hamburg again when he didn’t see the train and rest stop behind himself anymore. 

Travelling at night was certainly better than at day, and the Turkish man was thankful for the nightfall. He was determined to get back to Hamburg by morning, as it was a good two or three hours still away. He didn’t mind the walking, besides, it gave him some time to think. 

The sun was already close to setting by the time he left the rest stop, and it was nighttime after a few minutes of walking. Roaring from planes nearby made Terra begin to walk faster. He wasn’t sure if he was near a new military camp that had spawned in the past years since he was here, or it was just planes overhead, but he was determined to get out of there. 

After about an hour or two, he could see lights from the city begin to appear in the distance. Terra started to move faster, although already tired enough, he plowed through his exhaustion. He tried to convert his exhaustion into excitement, and it was working for a little, but then he remembered that he missed his own birthday. It was so jarring to him, that he had to stop for a moment. 

This meant that he was another year older (Twenty-eight to be exact), and he couldn’t remember the last time he actually cared about celebrating anything like that. Then he was met with a realization.

It was many years since he actually cared. 

With his remembrance of his birthday over with, he continued on his way to Hamburg. Terra finally reached the cityside, making sure there were no Nazis around, and he started to walk the back alleys and streets to Aqua’s house. Part of the city were just empty blocks of rubble and crumbling structures, which used to be rows of houses and buildings, but were destroyed in bombings. 

Terra was then afraid that Aqua’s home could’ve been destroyed, and he began to run. He didn’t forget where her house was, even after all of these years, and when he finally got to her street, he was flooded with relief that the entire block was still standing. Even more homes past this street were still together. 

He carefully walked up to the front porch, unsure of how he was going to greet Aqua after all of these years. A kind hello? A kiss on the cheek? Despite all of the time Terra had spent with her, he still felt like he knew nothing about her. 

Terra knocked on the door, checking his watch, making sure it wasn’t too late yet. It was only 9:30 at night, surely someone was awake. He stood there for another moment, unable to tell if he was excited or nervous to see Aqua again. It has been two, almost three, years since he’s seen her. And a lot can happen in two years. 

Before he knocked again, the door slowly drew open, and Terra was met with his favorite face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHOOOOOOOOOOOH WOW 
> 
> So now we know what's been going on with my good boy Terra since he's been gone!! I was going to introduce more characters as I went along but then this chapter might have been like more than 5000 words and I don't know how well I could do that anyway... With this chapter I was more concerned implementing Besame Mucho with this. The several mentions of the Spaniard and his disappearance was what most of it was. I was working with another work that one of my very kind readers wrote for me, putting this Spaniard and this Turk together in a small drabble. I'll see if they will let me post the link at the end of this so you can read it as well! It was very well written and I thank you for it!!! <3 
> 
> As for the next few chapters.... I'm hoping to end this at either 16-17 chapters. The next chapter might not be as long, but it is crucial to the plot and movement of this. Chapter eleven is already planning to be hell. I guarantee it. It is planning on probably getting to the darker side of what being an informant is, and what the consequences are. So I will tell you now: Terra is not safe, and he will not be okay at the end of this work. Forgive me, but it is true.
> 
> Thank you for reading and I hope to see you in the next chapter!!! <3


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The winds had picked up, and the trees outside her window were pushed back and forth. Blossoms were almost near full bloom, the street lights were elegantly shining through the branches, casting a shadow into Aqua’s room. Loose petals from the trees flew off from the branches, off and away into the street. She turned on her other side, away from the window and stared at the door instead. It was much less distracting. 
> 
> Aqua closed her eyes, hoping to fall asleep somehow. She imagined the garden being in full bloom once again, just her and the garden. Just like it was years ago. Before she worried about a man…before she fell in love. Somehow her heart just couldn’t imagine a world without him, even without all of the war and corruption. She just couldn’t. The night started to take her after she thought for another few minutes, fading off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as a small reminder, please remember that this is not 100% following the sequences that occurred in WWII. With that aside, please enjoy this chapter!!

**1944**

**Meister Residence, Hamburg**

Soft sounds of jazz and tunes of romances flooded through the first floor. The radio in the parlor was certainly playing it’s part, and Aqua was enjoying herself as well. Her father was upstairs in his office, tending to some work. Meanwhile, Aqua was glossing through sheet music and music pamphlets in the parlor, humming along to the music. 

Since Terra’s last visit, Aqua had been working extremely hard on her music. She was spending five days in a week to practice, some days writing new compositions, and others just going along with whatever song she’d like. The music flowed out of her. 

Aqua didn’t forget about Terra during her musical escapades, she actually wrote music for him, hoping that she could share them with him one day. The girl would often get lonely while he was away, and seeing as she would never know until he walked in the door, she begged to God if he was okay. She wasn’t that much of a spiritual woman anymore, but damn, she hoped and prayed that he would come back. 

The nightfall had come around much faster than Aqua had realized, and she quickly had dinner with her father, both of them returning to their work. Aqua returned to the parlor, sorting all of her sheet music and stuffing it back in their respective portfolios. She took the portfolios into the piano room, setting them on a table next to the window. 

Her eyes fell back to the piano in the center of the room, smiling softly at it, remembering fond memories. She left the piano room, walking through the foyer and into the kitchen, opening the back door. A gentle spring breeze blew into the kitchen, and it was still warm outside. Aqua stepped outside, immediately hearing sirens wail, so she went back inside, shutting the door and locking it. 

The girl sighed, returning to the parlor, opening a book to read. The radio was turned off, and nothing but silence remained. She sat down on the loveseat, beginning to read the book she chose. While she was reading, she started to nod off and fall asleep, catching herself here and there when she would fall asleep. It must’ve been sometime around 9 or 10, or some other time. She was too sleepy to check the clock. 

Through the middle of her fading off into sleep, she remembered hearing a knock at the door. Aqua roused herself from her nap of sorts, standing up to get the door. She rubbed her eyes, trudging to the front door. Before she answered, she smoothed her skirt, and pulled her hair to the side. 

“Good evening-” Aqua said, stopping mid sentence to realize who she was talking to. Her eyes went wide and her heart pounded. 

“Hello, Aqua. It’s been too long.” It was Terra Erde. The incredible man that had dug his own grave three times over, but still managed to escape each hole and return to her. He smiled, looking worn and tired. 

Aqua took him by the shirt, quickly pulling him inside before another patrolman came by. She furrowed her brow and stiffened every joint in her body. She didn’t know if she was happy or upset, a usual occurrence that happened when Terra returned from his trips. 

“You were gone even longer this time!” She finally cried, balling her hands and crossing her arms. “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for you?” 

Terra sighed, setting his suitcase on the ground. “A long time.” 

“Yes! A very long time.” Aqua frowned, dispelling the anger from her heart. “But I guess I can’t be upset at you now. At least you came back to me.” She sank against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. “And it is you. You brought back your heart.” 

He nodded. “I wouldn’t come back without it, _sevgili_. I know how much it meant to you.” Terra lent down, burying his face in his hair. He kissed the top of her head, his eyes looking off into the hallway.

Aqua sighed, taking a step back. “Well, it will be nice to have you back home. I’ve done a great deal of missing you, so it would be a shame if you left again.” she nodded, turning to the stairs. “I would love to stay up and talk about everything that happened with me during your absence, but I suppose it’s too late for that now.” She smiled, crossing her arms. 

“There’s always tomorrow, Aqua.” 

She turned from him, nodding her head again. “It’s best if I’d turn in for tonight.” Aqua forced a smile, facing him once more. She stood on the tips of her toes, reaching up to leave a gentle kiss on his cheek. “Good night, Terra.” 

Aqua left him, fleeing to her bedroom. She shut the door, turning on the overhead light. Her head rested against the door, and she could hear Terra slowly come up the stairs and return to the guest bedroom across the hall. The girl wasn’t sure if he was going to be safe much longer, but she had to remain positive. She let out a deep sigh, walking over to lay on her bed. 

She got ready for bed, slipping under the covers. The light was turned out and she was then left with her thoughts. Her eyes stared holes into the ceiling, trying to fall asleep… but she wasn’t able to. Aqua rolled on her side, tossing and turning. Her thoughts wouldn’t rest and she eventually sat up, crossing her arms. She turned to the window, gazing outside. 

The winds had picked up, and the trees outside her window were pushed back and forth. Blossoms were almost near full bloom, the street lights were elegantly shining through the branches, casting a shadow into Aqua’s room. Loose petals from the trees flew off from the branches, off and away into the street. She turned on her other side, away from the window and stared at the door instead. It was much less distracting. 

Aqua closed her eyes, hoping to fall asleep somehow. She imagined the garden being in full bloom once again, just her and the garden. Just like it was years ago. Before she worried about a man…before she fell in love. Somehow her heart just couldn’t imagine a world without him, even without all of the war and corruption. She just couldn’t. The night started to take her after she thought for another few minutes, fading off to sleep. 

\--  
Aqua woke up that morning, sluggish and exhausted. Usually she wasn’t like this. 

She got out of bed, getting dressed and freshening up. A barrette was snapped into her hair and she walked out of her room, going downstairs. She made way for the kitchen, stepping a foot in and noticing the back door was wide open. Aqua hurried over to the door, slowly peeking outside and looking around. 

The flowers and plants in the garden had the fresh morning dew of spring overtop of them, sparkling in the sunshine of the morning. It was fairly decent outside, and it was pleasant to feel the crisp air. Whomever left the door open wasn’t out in the garden, anywhere, so she closed the door, returning to the safety of her home. 

“Good morning Aqua. Did you get any sleep last night?” Eraqus walked into the kitchen, reaching for the kettle and the coffee substitute above in the cabinet. He started to heat the kettle on the stove, his back turned to Aqua. 

Aqua sighed. “No more than the usual. Just nerves I suppose.” She explained, wandering over to the table, taking a seat. 

A moment of silence passed over them. Aqua didn’t like this tension. 

“I would like to talk to you about something, Aqua. It is something I haven’t discussed with anyone yet, and I wanted to come to you first.” He didn’t turn around and he leaned against the countertop. 

She wasn’t pleased with the tone of his voice, but she overlooked it. “Of course, Papa. What is it? I’m sure I’ll understand.” Aqua sat up straight, biting her lip. 

Eraqus turned around, keeping his hands firmly on the counter. “I have been thinking for the past few weeks to move into the countryside. It will be away from the city, in the southwest, away from all of the bombings and chaos, so we can live a peaceful life. It’s a farmhouse, a bit bigger than our home now.” He looked at Aqua, his brow knit closely together. 

“What about the house here?” Aqua asked, startled by his request. “Papa, you’ve wanted to keep this house in our family forever. You asked for Ven and I to look after it when you cannot.” 

“Aqua, I’m afraid this war is preventing us from getting the things we need for everyday life. It’s hitting us harder than I, no, all of us were expecting.” Eraqus turned his gaze to the floor. “As much as I would love to keep us here, and as much as I resist the option to move us from here, we just aren’t safe any longer.” 

“What do you mean, we aren’t safe?” She stood up. “I know Hamburg had been bombed, Papa, I do. But we haven’t been targeted yet, we’ll be fine.” Aqua told herself to remain calm. 

Eraqus looked back up at her. “As a matter of fact, Aqua, we have.” he said, his arms crossing over his chest. “It’s that man, _upstairs_ , that has brought this doom upon us. I was contacted earlier this morning to hear from an officer that a Turkish man boarded on a train to Hamburg, leaving just before they reached here. From a transfer in Munich.” 

“That could’ve been any Turk, Papa.”

“No, it’s not any Turk, Aqua. It’s him.” Eraqus’ brow was tightly knit together. “You are a very kind girl, Aqua, and I know you try to see the best in people…”

Aqua frowned. “I’m not a _girl_ anymore. Stop calling me that. It’s been years since I was a little girl.” 

Eraqus flinched, unable to think of a response. He stood there for a moment or two, slowly nodding. The kettle whistled, and he poured the hot water into the instant coffee grounds. Neither of them said anything, then Aqua started to walk out of the kitchen. 

“Aqua,” Eraqus turned halfway, looking over his shoulder. 

Aqua stopped. 

“I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into.” he said, looking back down into his coffee. 

A tingling sense rose up in Aqua’s stomach, but she protested against it. “I think moving to the country would be a lovely idea, papa. I’ll start packing tonight.” she walked into the foyer, climbing the stairs to the guest bedroom. 

Aqua stood outside of the guest bedroom door, her hand firmly on the handle. She knocked on the door, believing she had knocked gently, but she did not. Even so, there wasn’t an answer, so she cracked the door, peeking inside to make sure Terra was asleep. 

He was, and she stepped in, watching her footsteps. Aqua pulled the shades over the window, noting how he had forgotten to do it again, even after all of these years. She stood at the desk looking out the window to the street, pondering about how she was going to break the news of them moving to Terra. She figured he would have no problem with it, but then again, he didn’t see eye-to-eye with her father. 

Memories of her eavesdropping in on their conversations so long ago made her remember how foolish she was, how silly it was of her to hear things she had no idea would impact her like so. She had no idea she would fall in love with someone like Terra. There were things she regretted. The things she wished she could have back, although… She wasn’t so sure of what she lost. 

Maybe it was her belief in good things, or her trust for people. Whatever it was, Aqua felt uneasy when she tried to remember. 

Aqua turned around, letting her eyes trail up the bed’s front to Terra, observing how he slept. His habits had not changed since the last time she was around him while he slept, but she did notice that his expression was hard and unchanged. He looked upset. 

The girl sighed softly, tip-toeing back out of the room. 

“Aqua, wait.” 

Aqua smiled, trying not to return his greeting with an attitude. “Why don’t you ever let me in on your own?” She turned halfway, closing the bedroom door. “You could at least tell me when you are awake instead of faking it.” 

Terra shrugged, sitting up. “I was awake when I heard you and your father speaking downstairs.” 

“You heard it?” Aqua replied, cross. 

He shook his head. “I wouldn’t eavesdrop on personal matters between you and your father.” Terra grinned. “I’m not like you when you were younger, eavesdropping on important matters.” 

Aqua rolled her eyes, her eyebrows pinched together. “I didn’t know what I was doing then. Clearly I should have asked before being a part of your conversations.” She took a seat on the end of the bed. 

Terra looked down. He didn’t bother to apologize. “May I ask what you were discussing? Or is it not in my place to?” He stretched, yawning a little. 

“I thought since I was a polite woman, I would tell you what is going on. But I don’t… I don’t know how you’ll react to it.” she folded her hands. 

“It can’t be as bad as my situation right now could it?” Terra asked, a brow raised in suspicion. “The Nazis aren’t going to pound on your door right now are they?” 

Aqua furiously shook her head, a expression of deep concern burned deep into her face. “Nononono! Terra I would never let them take you! Why would I ever do that to you? I-” she stopped herself. 

Terra sat forward. “You what?” he wouldn’t stop looking at her. “Aqua what were you going to say?” 

“I really care about you, Terra.” she blushed, although she felt like he had already known. “I just want you to be safe. After the war we can go on a trip to see Ven, or get a home somewhere in Belgium or France and we can live together.” Her eyes were wide with hope and a wide smile was on her lips, but it quickly faded, returning to the solemn expression from before. 

Terra rested a hand overtop of hers. “I would love to do that with you, Aqua, but I think we should focus more on the present. There _is_ still a war raging on, and despite all of the hopeful acts by the allies, we still don’t know when this war could be over.” He squeezed her hands. “I need to know what your father was talking to you about.” 

Aqua nodded slowly, meeting his eyes. “Papa wants to move us to a farmhouse, it's apparently southeast from here... A countryside home.” She sighed, holding Terra’s hand. “He wants to move away from all of this.” 

Terra didn’t say anything at first, absorbing everything completely. Then he finally spoke, his tone not as sour as Aqua was expecting. 

“I think it would be a good idea if we moved out of this town. A change of scenery is always pleasant.” 

\--

 **Summer 1944**

**Farmhouse, Northern Germany**

 

Aqua had finally gotten around to liking her new home. Work was rough, as they now grew most of their vegetables and had chickens for eggs, but it was comfortable being out of the city. They weren’t able to phone Ven to tell him, but they moved all of his things to the farmhouse and gave him a bigger room to compensate. Aqua hoped that she could see him again soon. 

Terra came along with them, carefully avoiding any trouble and managing to make it there on his own. He wasn’t sure how he had done it, but he did, and it reassured Aqua to heaven and back. His job around the farmhouse was to just keep things quiet. They couldn’t risk anything now, and he understood completely. 

Aqua was coming back from the small town a few minutes away from their home, carrying back the household rations. She was lucky enough to find flour in town, since most of it had gone to making thousands of loaves for other rations. She decided that it would be better if she collected flour here and there, that she could just begin to make bread herself. It would save on trips to the town, and there would be more for everyone to eat. 

When she was close to the gate of the farmhouse, a man was standing outside the fence writing something down. Aqua had never seen the man before, and he stood next to an expensive black car, one that was familiar from many years ago. She told herself to be brave and approach the man, to be brave and ask what he wanted. 

Moment before she took a step in the man’s direction, he quickly looked her way, and before she knew it, she had mistaken them for a man. It was really a woman, but she wore a heavy trenchcoat, despite the heat, a fedora, and expensive shoes and pants. The woman narrowed her eyes, taking a step in Aqua’s direction. More steps followed until they were met face-to-face. 

“May I ask what you are doing, madam?” Aqua asked, tightening her grip on her basket. 

The woman scoffed, breaking off into a deep fit of laughter. “You’d think the old man would say something about me, right? Sheesh what a card he is.” She shook her head, smiling. “Names Larxene, you don’t need my last name.” 

Aqua was confused. “Old… Man? Who are you talking about?” She wasn’t quite sure what was going on, but she was still just as nervous as she was before approaching Larxene. 

Larxene nodded, taking Aqua’s hand. “C’mon, if you take me inside your place I can explain. I know a lot more about your Turk than most people do, sweetheart.” 

Aqua didn’t like being called sweetheart, nor did she like hearing that this Larxene woman knows Terra. Maybe they are friends… Or maybe even more than just friends. “You aren’t going to capture him are you?” She furrowed her brow. 

“I’m going to be the one to break him out if the poor bastard does get locked up. But he doesn’t want to put you through that, as he’s told me.” Larxene put her hands on her hips, looking down to meet Aqua’s eyes. “Okay, I would love to chat with you about your hot thing, but I’m dying in this trenchcoat, could I please go to your place?” 

“I guess so…” Aqua hesitantly nodded. 

As soon as Aqua gave the okay, Larxene took her hand and pulled her to the car. “We’ll drive in my car. There’s no way I’m walking that long-ass lane to your house.” She opened the passenger door for Aqua, letting her inside. She then ran around the front, hopping into the driver’s seat and starting up the engine. Larxene tore into the driveway, and soon enough they were in the private farmhouse estate. 

Aqua sat in the car for a moment, a little overwhelmed by her current situation. She looked over at Larxene, her eyes wide. “Do you always drive like that?” 

Larxene shrugged. “Most of the time.” She winked, stepping out of the car. Larxene walked around to the passenger door, opening it for Aqua. “I have to be polite too, miss. I’d hate to have you wait so long.” A devious smile curled to her lips. 

Aqua was unsure of how to make of her entire situation. First, she met a woman who wore men’s clothing; second, the woman was possibly flirting with her; third, Aqua couldn’t help but feel flattered from all of it. “I, um, thank you?” She exited the car, wobbling a bit before standing straight on her feet. “The house is just over here, Terra’s inside.” Aqua walked over to the front door, watching as Larxene didn’t trail too far behind. 

Just as Aqua had expected, Terra was sitting out on the back porch, and he was reading something in his hands. He looked back to Aqua, smiling and standing from his seat. He walked into the living area, meeting her halfway. “Aqua! How was your trip into town?” He pulled Aqua into a brief hug. 

He seemed a bit too excited to see her. 

“It was fine,” Aqua replied, returning his smile. “I brought a friend. She said she knew you.” She turned halfway, watching as Larxene glanced around the cozy living area. “Um, Larxene?” 

"Larxene?" Terra asked, spotting the tall female behind Aqua. He frowned, deeply sighing.

Larxene, snickered, quickly meeting Terra’s gaze when she looked up. “Long time no see, old man. You didn’t tell me your girl was so cute!” she cheered, pulling the fedora off and opening her arms for a hug from him too. Larxene's blonde hair fell down to her shoulders, her hair parting to the right and flowing effortlessly. She was clearly a woman of fashion.

Aqua felt her face heat up, and she hid behind her hair, stepping back from between them. “I’m going to uh, put the food away in the kitchen. Please get acquainted with each other again.” She said, running off into the kitchen. 

Terra focused his gaze on Larxene, narrowing his eyes. “What the hell are you doing here? How did you find me?” He crossed his arms. 

Larxene pouted, lowering her arms. She peeled her coat off, revealing a sleeveless button-down blouse, something women didn’t wear. “I did some research, some snooping around, y’know. It’s really the only fun thing I could do in a while! Plus I missed seeing you!” She slumped down on the sofa. “You’re a fun guy to be around with.” 

“You’re going to get us all killed, _Brauer_.” He wasn’t too sure what was going to come next. And he knew very well that she did not like hearing her last name. “What did you really come here for? Are you here to settle a score with someone?” 

The blonde snorted, resting into a chair. “You and I both are the scum of the earth, we’re both in the same situation, and you still don’t have a liking to me.” she sighed, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t _call_ me that.” 

Terra scoffed. “I don’t think we were ever friends. I can’t trust you and you can’t trust me. It’s simple.” he explained, returning her harsh gaze. “I’ve been doing this for a lot longer than you have, Larxene.” 

Larxene nodded, pursing her lips. “Mmhm. Isn’t it funny how we aren’t even three years apart in age? I mean, I find it funny.” she laid back, playing with her painted red nails. Her lips pressed into a tight line and she glanced outside. “I’m guessing you’ve had your eye on the camp just a few miles from here, correct?” 

“Yeah, what about it?” 

“Aren’t you afraid?” Larxene didn’t raise her voice, simply keeping a steady tone. “They could come get you! They could get _her_ \--”

“They’ll be doing nothing of the sort.” Terra raised his voice. “I told you back in Marseille, and I’ll tell you again,” he growled. “There isn’t going to be the day where I’m taken, or Aqua’s taken, or anyone else is. Stop suggesting that I’ll be thrown away like all of the other rats have.” his eyes were wild, and his brow was pinched together.

Larxene closed her eyes. “If you say so.” 

\--

 **Two Days Later**

Aqua was walking down into town to meet Larxene and have lunch with her. The two had come to be friends, and it was nice to have a new face around. She couldn’t remember when she met new people. It warmed her heart to have someone, that wasn’t completely dangerous, to talk to. 

The town, with its few citizens, was busy. People were wandering all about, getting ready to have lunch with other people in town and children got off of school for lunch at home. Aqua walked through the town, the occasional person who hadn’t seen her before raised an eyebrow, but she was used to it. Children were flabbergasted when she walked by, sometimes asking if she was magic, where she politely said “no” to. 

By the time Aqua reached the cafe where they were to eat, a decently sized group of people stood outside of the cafe, a radio announcing a news story and someone yelling in the street to the other citizens. Larxene was sitting at a table, sipping at a cup of tea. Her face was kept low and it was evident that she was listening to the news. The radio blared with news of the Allies landing in Normandy, the invasion happening just the day before and there was already a casualty count out. Larxene stood up as Aqua came to the table outside, forcing a smile despite the depressing news. 

“I’m glad you made it,” Larxene waited for Aqua to take a seat before sitting herself. “I wasn’t expecting the Normandy news to hit like this. People seem a lot more shaken up than many of us were expecting.” 

Aqua furrowed her brow, her gaze meeting Larxene’s. “You mean you’ve known about this? How did you find out?” she asked, feeling like that wasn’t exactly the best question _to_ ask about. 

“That’s classified, Aqua.” The blonde didn’t look up, and she stirred her tea. “I wanted to have you here to talk about something else, even though you might not enjoy the topic, I thought you should know since Terra is too dense to tell you about it.” 

The anxiety that Aqua had since shut out, came back at full force, almost making her nauseous. “A-about what? He doesn’t like talking about his line of work too much.” Aqua knew what Larxene was going to say, but she wasn’t going to stop her. It had to be the time for her to hear it. 

Larxene bit her cheek. “I only came here for one reason, Aqua, and that was to protect Terra. Word had sprung up in Marseille, while he was there, and it forced him to come back here. I told him not to, but he said that he must.” she slowly looked up, keeping a low voice beneath the crowd behind her. Aqua could just barely hear her. “He came back for _you_ , and that move had put him in some of the greatest danger a rat could be in.” 

“Is he going to be okay?” 

“No. He’s not going to be okay.” Larxene’s tone darkened, and she fixed the wide-brim hat she wore. “I didn’t want to be blunt, Aqua… but I had to be. It’s a life or death situation, and he told me over and over again that he couldn’t have you taken from him. Terra said that he would rather be the casualty.” She shook her head. 

Aqua wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Her eyes fell to the ground, and an unexplainable pain shot through her. _It was only a matter of time_ \- she told herself, but the words didn’t keep with her. She didn’t want it to be true. “He’s so stupid!” her voice cracked, but was no higher than a whisper. 

Larxene didn’t say anything. She knew Aqua was right and she agreed with her, but the informant was finally accepting his fate. Terra chose to have this happen to himself, and he figured it was better if the Gestapo came right to him instead of going through the ones he loved…

“Aqua I know how you’re feeling, believe me, but you can’t go doing anything reckless. I’m going to get a few of my other friends, and we’re gonna break him out,” Larxene explained, taking Aqua’s hand. “But you have to promise me, right now, that you won’t tell anyone this. I can’t be found out. Cause if I am, then it’ll be the end of the line for Terra.” 

The crowd behind the table finally seemed to quiet down, people returning to their seats, or just completely leaving the restaurant all together. Servers began to return to their customers tables, serving food that had been ordered before all of the chaos. Larxene ordered some wine, requesting a glass for Aqua as well. The server returned momentarily with their wine, leaving again after Larxene set in an order for lunch. 

Aqua looked up, taking the glass of wine in her hand. “Where is Terra going to be when they come for him?” she asked, almost unable to raise her voice in the cafe. “I want to be with him before he leaves.” 

“I told him to leave your father’s home and go to a barn just a few minutes from there. He said he would stay there for the rest of the week.” 

Aqua nodded, pulling her hair to the side. “I’m going to see him later tonight.” she took a sip of her wine, a hand reaching down to hold onto the table. “Larxene, you aren’t going to stop me,” she paused, meeting the blonde woman’s brilliant green eyes. “I’m… going.” 

Larxene sighed. “I’ll won’t stop you, but you have to listen to Terra. He’s not going to be happy about any of this and I’m not too thrilled about your decision either, but I won’t stop you.” she clicked her nails against the table top. Her lips curled to a hard frown and she kept her head low. 

“You better know what you’re getting yourself into, miss.” 

\--

Terra slumped down in a chair, his hand wiping slowly down his face. He looked around the quaint, little, barn; the summertime sunset brightly filtering through window above. It was getting cooler outside the faster the sun set, and the barn eerily creaked as the breeze knocked against it outside. The barn was no villa in the countryside, but it was good enough to hide a rat. 

He left Eraqus’ place with no other words, leaving nothing but a note for Aqua to find later. The anxiety resting in his stomach was more than he was able to bear, and the complete silence around him was driving him crazy. He had wished he had said goodbye to Aqua, or saw her smile one last time… or at least gave one last kiss… 

The door to the barn slowly pushed open, and Terra jumped in his seat, quickly turning to the door. He wasn’t ready to be thrown away, he wasn’t ready to leave Aqua behind, he wasn’t ready to die. His heart was beating out of his chest, but he somehow managed to not start shaking. 

The light from the sunset blared through the now cracked barn door, and Terra couldn’t tell who it was. 

“You’ve finally come to get me? Eh?” he announced, crossing his arms. “Just take me and get it over--” 

“Terra, it's me! Aqua!” The blue girl cried, shutting the barn door and running to him. She fell to her knees, pulling him down into her arms. She started murmuring something frantically in Hungarian while holding onto his shoulders, her eyes furiously holding back tears. She wore a sundress, and when she knelt in front of him, dirt from the floor smudged onto the dress.

Terra’s eyes went wide, taking a hold and pressing her closer. This was unexpected and he didn’t know what to do, but he just had to calm her down. “Aqua! Aqua, please! Calm down, I’m fine--” He didn’t know how she knew, and this was something he really didn’t want her to know. Then he remembered. Larxene. 

She pulled back from him, staring right into his eyes. “Why are you doing this!? We could run away, you don’t have to give up! Please, I don’t want you to go…” Aqua pleaded, knowing her attempts at luring him back in were useless, but she had to try whatever she could. “I can’t live without you, I-I don’t know what I’ll do without you.” she was stumbling all over her words, and she wasn’t sure if she was getting across. 

“Aqua, I can’t run anymore.” Terra whispered, his hand ever so gently caressing her cheek. “I have no other choice, this is my fate,” 

Aqua held his hand, shaking her head. “We can try to change fate… All we have to do is try..” she desperately pressed back tears, but she felt one roll down her cheek. “We still have so much to do, I wrote music for you, and… and you have to take me to meet your mother…” 

Terra shook his head. “Please don’t cry Aqua… You might make me cry.” he didn’t know what to say, but he knew time was drawing to a close. “I love you so much, my… my _güzel mavi_ …” he leant in leaving a kiss on her lips. 

Aqua closed her eyes, trying to keep calm. She felt more tears fall down her cheeks, and a sob escaped her lips. “I love you too…” she whimpered, gritting her teeth. 

Outside the roar of an engine hissed through the barn panels and Aqua jumped, feeling her heartbeat quickly increase. She felt her eyes widen, and she didn’t know what to do. She stared at Terra, and he stood up, pulling her to her feet and dragged her to a horse stall, now only filled with old hay barrels. Terra unlatched the stall door, holding onto Aqua’s arm. 

“Aqua get inside, hide, and do not, under any circumstances make a sound or move. Do you understand me?” His eyes grew dark, and his tone was deep and startling, one Aqua had never wished to hear. 

She nodded, quickly giving him one last kiss before stepping into the dark stall, curling up behind a stacked hay barrel. He whispered something to her, quickly returning to his chair. Aqua could see through cracks in the thin wooden stall, watching Terra while trying to calm and quiet herself down. 

Terra was looking right at her, and ran a hand through his hair. He whispered something else, probably in Turkish, but Aqua couldn’t hear it over the obnoxious shouting outside. Moments passed where Terra anxiously sat in his seat, his leg bouncing up and down in anticipation, when the barn door flew open, and Gestapo in their infamous black uniforms and red swastika armbands came in. 

They pointed guns and rifles at Terra, officers coming over and knocking him to the ground with a forceful punch to the face. The officers screamed at him, telling him to not move and to remain quiet while he was doing neither of the sort. Another officer clad with silver metals over his heart kicked him, and pulled out a pistol of his own, considering to shoot him on spot. One handcuffed Terra, dragging him to his feet. 

Aqua was losing herself. She choked sobs back, tears pouring from her eyes, and her hands were glued over her mouth so not a single sound came from her. But it was _so_ hard. There was so much noise already in the barn that she doubted that they would hear her, but even then, she didn’t risk it. Pain shot through her with each punch, slap, and kick that was thrown at Terra, and she wasn’t sure how much more she could take. Her lungs were burning and her tears felt like acid running down her cheeks.

He was knocked out, and his head lifelessly hung when they pulled it up. Blood ran from his nose and from a cut on his head somewhere. He looked dead. 

The officers then filed out of the barn, taking Terra with them, leaving his satchel and other things that he had taken with him there after a swift check of the bag. An officer carrying a rifle walked back past the horse stalls, shining a flashlight quickly through each one, then returning to his comrades and leaving the barn. Car wheels peeled out of the area, and Aqua didn’t make another move until she heard nothing but the evening crickets outside. 

Aqua crawled out from the stall, her legs failing her and she fell to the ground. She curled up, letting out the awful cries and wailing that she kept inside. Her hands curled up and slammed to the ground, regret being released with each hit to the ground. She didn’t know how long it was since she cried this hard, and she was quite sure that she never had. Her lungs burned with each scream and cry she let out, and nothing satisfied her. But all of the crying wasn't only because she had lost the man she loved. 

She didn’t even say goodbye to him…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was over 6k words.... there were just SO many things that I had to include in this chapter, like the ending...
> 
> I apologize for what is to come in the next chapter, I truly do apologize. But the seize and capture for Terra will happen next chapter, and Larxene is going to gather her friends! Also we are probably gonna find out who sold Terra's location out to the Gestapo (it was going to be Larxene but I had changed my mind and it's going to be someone else) since I figured it would make sense why he was targeted and found so quickly. The next chapter will actually be separated into two major parts (but still remain in the same chapter, kinda like how this was separated by dates and stuff) by Aqua's POV and then probably Terra's POV after the capture is done. After the next chapter, there isn't going to be much left, so I'm going to estimate that there will be approximately five more chapters??? Maybe even less than that depending how long each one is. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and I'll see you in the next chapter!! <3


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She tightened her hand around the strap of the satchel, giving one last quick glance inside the barn before closing the door. Aqua was set back on her way home. Her head ran with ways of how she was going to tell her father of where she was and what happened to Terra, and she’d admit it, she was afraid.

Aqua evened her breathing. She sat up, wiping her face clean from dirt from the floor. The barn had gone deathly quiet, nothing but the summertime crickets and frogs overran the silence. Her mind was completely blank. Slowly, she got to her feet.

She carefully walked over to Terra’s bag on the ground, picking it up. The orange scarf she made for him three years prior was folded up inside, as well as a small pill box. There was nothing else in the bag but the scarf, pill box, and a small silver locket. It was an interesting choice of things for him to carry, but it didn’t perturb Aqua in the slightest. 

Aqua opened the pillbox, a wave of mixed nausea and sadness overran her as she peeked at the dried up flower inside, and it immediately reminded her of the day when she gave Terra the small Fuchsia flower. The memory just hurt her even more, and she snapped the pill box closed, stuffing it back in the bag. She picked the scarf back up and put it inside, making a beeline straight for the barn door. 

She tightened her hand around the strap of the satchel, giving one last quick glance inside the barn before closing the door. Aqua was set back on her way home. Her head ran with ways of how she was going to tell her father of where she was and what happened to Terra, and she’d admit it, she was afraid.

Larxene wasn’t going to tell Aqua what the Gestapo was capable of doing to Terra. The gory details were going to be saved for when they break him out of his containment, and Aqua believed that no one was ready for his injuries. The girl wasn’t sure what she was ready for. 

As the sun finally set, the farm road was only lit by the stars and moon. The nighttime set in faster than Aqua had expected, but she was relieved when she saw the gate to her home lane. She took her time the rest of the way, still shaken up by the evening’s occurrences. The lights in the farmhouse ran out from inside, two figures standing in the light. They must’ve been expecting her. 

“Aqua! Thank God--” Larxene cried, pulling her into a huge hug. She smoothed Aqua’s hair, leaning away to look into her eyes. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” 

Aqua cleared her throat, a blank expression pasted onto her face. “I’m fine, Larxene…” she replied, her voice cracking mid sentence. “I would like to go inside and see Papa.” Her eyes trailed up to meet the blonde’s. 

Larxene nodded, taking Aqua’s hand and leading her inside. When Aqua was in the door, Larxene spun around and locked it. The curtains were drawn in the house, and the light was bright and piercing to the eye. Eraqus sat on a wingback chair inside, standing immediately from his seat as he saw Aqua standing there. 

“Aqua… What were you thinking?” Eraqus asked, his voice tired, matching his expression. “You could’ve died.” 

“But I didn’t.” Aqua shot back, almost instantly. “I had to see him one last time… I couldn’t let him go like--”

Eraqus’ expression hardened. “Like what, Aqua? Terra Erde was a fugitive, a wanted man. It was his time to go.” He took a long hard look at Larxene, who was idly standing behind Aqua. “And I can’t believe I let another rat in.” 

Larxene shrugged, narrowing her eyes and placing a hand on her hip. No one was bothered by her action. 

“I wasn’t going to let him go without a goodbye, Papa. He is my friend, he cares about me, and I--” Aqua stopped mid sentence, feeling her hands tighten around Terra’s belongings. She shook her head, but she knew deep down that it was wrong to deny her feelings anymore. 

“You don’t love him, do you?” Eraqus’ tone was harsh. He had now stepped forward, his arms crossed. “Aqua, answer me.”

Aqua felt her eyes well up, anger building up in her stomach. “Y-yes,” she looked up, meeting her step-father’s eyes. “I didn’t expect for any of this to happen… I just wanted to be happy with him. He was happy seeing me when he came home, it just turned into something more.” 

Eraqus sighed. “This was never his _home_ , Aqua. I only hired him to come and inform me of what the future was to become. I had to keep you safe, I-I needed to keep you out of harm's way, so asked Terra to keep an eye on you. But this isn’t what I had in mind.” He tore his gaze away from her, turning around and resting a hand on the wing back chair next to himself. “In love.” He scoffed. 

Aqua kept her eyes low, her legs rooted to the floor. She wasn’t moving. “We need to bring him back. I won’t let him die in there.” She whispered. It was just quiet enough in the room that both Eraqus and Larxene heard her. “I’ll go in and get him myself if I need to.”

Larxene stepped around her, shaking her head. “No can do, Aqua. I’m rounding up friends that are going to be here within the next few days, and we’re going to get him out, without your help.” The blonde crossed her arms. “I’m sure your dad here doesn’t want you going in either.”

Eraqus glared at Larxene. “It’s a suicide mission. I’m not going to have you risk your life again, Aqua. Once is enough.” 

“Was that what you thought when you enlisted in the military, Eraqus?” Aqua bitterly looked at his back, feeling anger bubble up. “Is that what you told your best friend before he died?” she fumed. 

“Aqua, that is enough,”

She wasn’t going to stop. “How long is it going to take you to understand that I’m not a nine year old girl anymore?” Aqua stepped forward. “I’m trying to not lose my sanity because the only person other than you or Ven who actually talked to me, is now gone! Terra loves me for who I am, he’s the only goddamn person in all of Europe that wouldn’t spit at me and call me a witch!” Aqua cried, feeling all of the bottled up tears come back to her. 

Eraqus turned to Aqua, a wild expression masking the calm and stony ones Aqua had grown up with. He was beyond upset. “I said enough, Aqua!” he yelled. “I didn’t raise you to be like this, and you should be happy that I took you in the way you are. The looks I saw people in Hamburg give you as they walked past, mocking you and degrading a child… It was sickening!--”

“You, of _all_ people think I don’t know?” Aqua asked, fighting fire with fire. “You don’t have to live with this curse! My entire life has been a freak show, so don’t tell me your side of the story. I know how it is.” she didn’t know if her voice could go any higher, and she started off to her room. 

Larxene wasn’t about to get between the two, but she was not having a pleasant time with the two at each other’s throats like this. “Aqua, we’re just trying to protect you… Terra’s trying to protect you…” Larxene’s voice was firm but kind, and she tried to lighten their moods a bit. 

But it didn’t work. 

“He’s trying to protect her… Of course, because he loves her.” Eraqus mocked. 

Aqua automatically turned to face her step-father, her eyes red from tears setting in. “Because he does love me!” She cried, actually almost screaming, her voice cracking. Her voice squeaked with each sniffle and sob, but she still burned with anger despite how bent out of shape she was. “And I truly do love him…” She trailed off, sinking down onto the loveseat sofa beside her. 

The room went dead silent. Larxene wasn’t moving in her place, and Eraqus sat down in the wing back he was in earlier. He pulled a hand up to his face, hiding from the women in the room. 

“How many more times do I have to try and convince you?” Aqua mumbled, her face bright red. The room returned to silence. 

Eraqus’ expression morphed, and he sighed, wiping his hand down his face. It took him a moment to respond, until he finally responded with, “Do you really love him that much?” his voice returned to the calm tone from earlier. “I suppose I have no choice…”

Aqua slowly looked at him, her eyebrows pinching together and a frown slowly spanning her cheeks. “What?” She murmured, carefully holding onto the satchel in her hands. 

Her father didn’t respond right away, and he crossed his arms. After a few moments he finally did. “I can’t see you so upset like this, Aqua. But I finally understand how much you love this man, and I suppose I can help in whatever way I can… To at least make you happy again.” He answered solemnly, his expression becoming worn again. 

It was at this time when Aqua realized how damaging this war was on her father, he looked much older than he intentionally was and although he managed to stay built strong, it was his eyes that gave him a withered appearance. She almost forgot that he was nearing the age of fifty-nine... 

Aqua’s brow pinched together, and she didn’t know what to say to that. “I want to go and help. If you won’t let me into his prison with you then I’ll do my best to help in another way.”

Larxene came over to Aqua, sitting beside her. “Aqua, I know you want to get Terra out of there right away, but you have to understand that this is going to take time. I have people coming in that are going to help us, and they are willing to do their best.” she explained, resting a hand over Aqua’s. “Can you accept that?” 

Aqua sighed, her head lowering. She didn’t want to wait, she knew the longer he was to say in there, the longer he would be tortured… But she had no choice. Her hand reached inside Terra’s satchel, slowly pulling out the silver locket. She brushed a thumb over the front, running a nail on the part and opened it. Inside was a miniscule image, black and white, of a woman with long dark hair. Her features were so similar to Terra’s, and Aqua figured that the woman was his mother. She really was beautiful. 

“I have no other choice.” Aqua moaned, chewing on her lip. Her hands folded over the locket, and she closed her eyes.

Larxene cleared her throat. “I won’t let him be in there forever. He’ll be out soon.” 

\--

_No._

The music wouldn’t stop. The scratching of the needle against the record each time it was played was literal hell, constant looping of the same _song over and over again_ was hell. Was he in hell right now? Where even was he? 

The men in black kept coming in every so often, demanding questions, when all he could say was no. They usually weren’t pleased until they took something of his, and then he was pushed to the furthest edge and forced to answer them correctly. But… What did they take from him again? He couldn’t remember…

Suddenly, Terra’s eyes shot open, a blinding white light pouring into his senses. The smell of rot and blood filled his nose, and after a short moment of panic and realization, he noticed his hand was missing. A gory stump of gauze and wrappings was all that was left of the appendage, but he remembers that much of his stay in this place. Where was the music? He was confused, remembering the exact pattern of the music, and the composition echoed in his head over and over again.

Not so far away from the bed he rested on was a table, a filthy mess of things covered the top, but he couldn’t locate his hand anywhere. Somewhere in his drugged subconscious told him that he wasn’t going to be able to reattach his hand, but he was completely far from alright now and he still hoped it was okay. 

While he was still searching for his hand, the door behind his bed opened, then closed shortly after, a man wearing a dark green uniform circled the bed and faced Terra. The man looked strikingly familiar to him, although he could’ve been hallucinating for all he knew, and the man grinned. The expression was _so_ damn familiar to Terra, and it was one he hadn’t seen in years. 

“Do you remember me, Mr. Erde?” The man asked, resting his gloved hand on the disgusting table, pulling up detached fingers and setting them back down. “It’s a shame you wouldn’t answer us right away. You lost a hand…” he whined. 

The man had silver hair tucked under his cap, his eyes of a pumpkin orange slowly returned to meet Terra’s form. He wiped his hand clean with his pants, walking to the side of the prisoner’s bed. His expression morphed to a pout, and Terra still had no idea what was going on. But the music had stopped playing since the man came in, and he was thankful for that much. 

“Why are you here?” Terra questioned, admitting to himself that it was a pretty stupid question to ask. “I don’t know who you are.” 

The man shook his head. “I’m disappointed you can’t even recognize your own **brother**. I mean we did fuck you up with loads of drugs to shut you up, but I can’t help but say that I’m still upset.” He said, observing the messy gauze wrapped around what was left of Terra’s hand. 

Terra could feel the drugs begin to leave his system, the pain from his infected wound shot into his hand, and his eyes widened realizing whom he was speaking to. He shook his head, trying to understand everything through the foggy mass that was his memory. At the very least, he remembered who he was, what his reasoning for getting here was, and the very faint and blurry image of Aqua in his mind.

“You’re… Ansem?” Terra whispered, looking up into the man’s eyes. “No, you couldn’t be-- you and father died, you’re dead!” He spat out words faster than he could comprehend them. 

The man’s orange eyes, his silver hair, his strikingly similar facial features… It _was_ his brother, and he didn’t die…but he wore an armband of red…a _swastika_... 

“Oh yes, father is dead, but I survived,” _Ansem_ chuckled, resting a hand on Terra’s arm, patting him softly. “I still think about that close encounter with death… Father wouldn’t have wanted to see me this way.” 

“What happened to you after that? Why didn’t you return home with mom and I?” Terra had far too many questions. 

Ansem narrowed his eyes, turning to stare at the wall instead. “I didn’t want to. My place wasn’t meant to be permanent, so I left for Munich, and here I am, twenty years later.” he explained, crossing his arms. 

“Why…” Terra took a deep breath. “Why are you a nazi?” He bit his lip, staring at his brother’s back.

“Because I know what I want my future to look like.” Ansem replied, his tone low. “If you weren’t so thick headed, you might’ve agreed with Hitler.” 

Terra couldn’t believe what he was hearing. This man wasn’t his brother, it was another one of Hitler’s Gestapo scum. His mind wasn’t clouded over anymore, and the drugs were worn off completely. Pain surged through his entire arm where his hand was taken, and nothing ran through his head but the awful torture of the same song that was played over and over again. 

“Get away from me, you aren’t my brother.” Terra spat, in Turkish. He watched as the man slowly turned to him, the color draining from his chocolate skin. Ansem didn’t move an inch. “I said, _get away from me_.” 

Ansem nodded, raising his eyebrow. “I thought I’d tell you one last thing before you demand for me to leave again,” He paused, reaching for something from the table behind himself. “A rat like yourself came to us two weeks ago, telling us of your location, and of a special girl.” 

_No._

The blood in Terra’s veins began to flow, and he was starting to get agitated. “I don’t know who you’re talking about.” He fumed, watching the man closely. From his close observation, he noticed the _Iron Cross_ , decorating the left breast pocket of Ansem’s shirt. This sent his anger soaring through the roof and back.

“Of course you do, you just won’t tell me.” 

Before Terra said anything else, the interrogator took a sharp knife… or something, and slammed it _right_ into Terra’s forearm, the blade going through the entire muscle and out the other end, hitting the stiff mattress of the bed. The same arm where he was missing his hand.

Pain quadrupled, multiplying more and more, and a scream rolled out from Terra’s lungs, and he panted, staring straight at the blade sticking out of his flesh. He choked back sobs while just staring at the thing, hoping it would be removed soon. Blood began to seep out from over and under his forearm, and it caused sharp nauseating pains to ripple through his entire body. 

“Who’s the girl, Terra? Who is she?” Ansem asked in a mocking tone, his hand firmly on the handle of the blade. “If you don’t tell me, I will drag this blade through the rest of your fucking forearm.” He warned, turning the knife a small degree. “I don’t stop until I get the answers I want.” 

Terra grit his teeth, his entire body tensed. “I’d rather die than tell you anything. You’ll never know.” He pulled his bearings together, keeping his gaze straight on Ansem’s. “Do your worst, you monster.” 

He shouldn’t have been so “easygoing” to have his body mutilated, but if it meant protecting Aqua, he would do whatever he had to. They weren’t going to kill him here, he knew that much. He figured they were going to send him to a death camp to be executed there. But he knew they were going to pull him to shreds in this hellhole. 

Ansem ran the blade a bit further down his forearm, and Terra couldn’t hold in his suffering anymore, and a wild howl of pain ran from his throat. He felt lighting strikes of white clash in his senses, and he was seeing nothing but the strikes of white. 

“You’ll break soon, brother.” 

 

\--

“Ms. Bűvész, I need your hairclips.” 

Aqua shook herself from a trance, nodding quickly. She handed the clips to Larxene’s friend from America, his expression was hard and a nasty scar ran between his eyebrows in the shape of an X. His name was Isa, and he was fairly tall, an interesting shade of dark blue (creating the illusion of black upon his head) for his hair color, and he had deep gold hazel eyes. He didn’t speak much, but when he did, he asked about Lea, and when he was speaking to another person his tone was strong and firm. Something happened to him, but Aqua wasn’t going to ask. 

Right now, he was helping Aqua get a wig on her head. The wig was a blinding blonde, and Aqua disliked the color just a bit. But it was the part of the operation that she had to do. The wig was in a cute updo hairstyle, and it was very nice. Isa carefully pinned most of Aqua’s hair down, sealing it with an odd hair solution more than two times. Her signature blue was wrapped up tightly against her head, and it was almost time to put the wig on.

“You must really love him,” Isa muttered, focusing on finishing her hair. “I’d usually call someone like you a fool, but if you truly love him… Then I admire you.” 

Aqua smiled painfully, her brows pinching together when she stole a glance at him through the vanity mirror. “I’m sorry, I just don’t know what to say.” She replied, her hands folded over her chest. “I’m terrified that he won’t know who I am, or if this mission is all for naught. He’s probably being torn apart and put back together in there…” 

Isa nodded gently, smoothing her head free of any stray hair. “Don’t start cursing anything now. We are going to get him out of there, you have to believe us.” He pulled the wig out of a box on the bed, gingerly holding it. 

Isa fastened the wig onto Aqua’s head, pinning it to her head with more bobby pins through the wig wefts, and dabbing a hair solution on the wig to maintain its shape. After another moment of him playing with the wig, he finished, sitting back on the bed. He started to close the boxes of makeup and beauty care when Aqua finally took a good look into the vanity’s mirror. 

“You look like one of those Germans.” Isa says, and Aqua could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. 

Aqua shook her head, a hand resting over the uniform that Larxene had given to her. “I don’t want to.” she sighed, turning to face him. “They’ve taken everything from all of us, not to mention those poor people in those death camps, but the world is in ruin because of them.” She shook her head, gazing at the floor. “I suppose I have little faith left anymore.” 

Isa didn’t look at her, instead observing the wood grain in the floor panels. “I was not trying to insult you, I was merely saying that it should go smoothly.” He paused. “The capture, I mean.” 

He didn't say anything else, and then he just left the room without another word. Aqua sat in silence, watching herself in the mirror closely. She _really_ didn’t look like herself, and a tiny ball of confidence told her that she was going to be able to pull this off. But the rest of her subconscious was a complete mess and she was worrying over every little detail.

It had been four days since Terra was taken, and each day Aqua could imagine what he was going through. She didn’t know the exact details, but she knew he was in tremendous amounts of pain and she wasn’t ready to see him torn apart, like she only figured he was. No one had spoken about the filthy details of torture to her yet, but she had to know what she was getting herself into, and what the proper techniques to helping him would be. She hoped, begged, and prayed that he would remember who she was. Again, she told herself not to get ahead of anything. 

Larxene told everyone that today was the day if they were to act quickly, and carefully. A friend of hers said that if they would enter the classified location with a ready vehicle for a quick escape, then they could get in and get out with little to no injury. The “Friend” did not specify what kind of building it was to anyone but Larxene and another man, but the group believed that victory was in their favor. 

Just as Aqua was getting ready to return to everyone downstairs, she remembered the silver locket from Terra’s satchel that she had placed on her bedside table. She went over and pulled it off of the surface, clasping the chain around her neck, and hiding the silver underneath the blouse and dress coat she was given to wear. A feeling of easiness rested back into her stomach, and she felt a tiny bit better. Aqua took her time returning downstairs, pulling on a beret matching her uniform, and met Larxene at the bottom step, and they exchanged a solemn glance, just before Larxene turned her head and scoffed. 

“I hate your hair that way, Aqua. Once we come back you have to take that disgraceful wig off.” She closed an eye, sticking her tongue out. “But you look ready for the job.” 

Aqua took a deep breath. “I don’t feel like I’m ready.” she then sighed, leaning against the banister railing. “Is everyone else ready?” Aqua peeked through the window and into the backyard where everyone was gathered. They were carrying a quiet conversation, while some joked and told the other how successful they were going to be. 

In total, seven people were going on this mission, and the majority had done jobs like this before. Excluding Isa and another american boy, who was no more than nineteen or twenty years old and went by the name of Roxas. Aqua hadn’t had the chance to speak to him yet, but he was chosen to stay here at the farmhouse in case anything was to happen. Larxene, Aqua, a man named Even, Braig, Lux (he didn’t go by his full name), a boy that went by the name of Struggle, and a girl who was friends with Struggle and called herself Olette. Aqua didn’t have much time to talk to any of them, but as Larxene had told her, they all knew Terra in one way or another. 

Larxene looked outside at them too, a small smile on her lips. “They’re only trying to make the best of the situation. But yes…” She paused turning to Aqua. “We’re ready.” 

Aqua felt her heart racing at a million miles per hour, and she was surprised that Larxene couldn’t hear it. She clenched her fists, and picked up the bag she was instructed to take. “We should get going.” She whispered, taking another deep breath. 

The blonde woman took Aqua’s hand and led her to the doorway of the backyard. She composed herself and a determined grin fell upon her cheeks. “Everyone to the cars, it’s time to get our asses in gear!” She announced, punching a fist into the air. “Everyone follow the plan, and everything should go smoothly.” 

Everyone else nodded and clapped in response, rising from their seats and was lead by Aqua and Larxene to the front driveway. They all gave each other small goodbyes before leaving one vehicle at a time. Lux, Struggle, and Braig were the lookouts and were proven the “sharpshooters” should any chase occur. Even and Olette were riding alone in a truck to get ready to haul Terra back. And Aqua and Larxene were the first part in the domino effect. 

The plan was for Aqua and Larxene to go in and pose as spies for the nazis, give information to those inside, and then discuss the fact that they were moving Terra to a camp a day early. Even and Olette would move the truck into position just outside the undisclosed location, and then once Aqua and Larxene bring him back out and put him in the truck, they would detonate the bomb in the trunk of Larxene’s car. It was a pretty foolproof plan, but they still had to be cool and collected about the entire execution.

Aqua sat in the front seat of the convertible car, next to Larxene in the driver’s seat. The bag she had taken earlier was in truck with Olette and Even, and it was a med kit. The med kit had almost everything Olette and Aqua would need to dress any damages to Terra on the way back to the farmhouse. The woman just wasn’t ready to see what was done to him. 

“Aqua, I need you to have this.” Larxene breaks the silence, awaiting the precise two minute wait time before they departed from the driveway. She held a handgun, handing it to Aqua. “If _anything_ happens to you, do not hesitate to use this.” It was a sleek black pistol with a long narrow end barrel, and Aqua had only seen them on the holsters of officers she had encountered while she was in Hamburg. 

“But I don’t know how to shoot it, I don’t know what I would use it for.” She stumbled over her words. 

“You pull the hammer and shoot, that's it.” 

Aqua hesitantly took the gun, feeling the weight of it in her palm, and she ran her fingers over the features. “I hope I won’t have to use this.” she murmured, observing the gun closely. 

Larxene took a gander at her wristwatch, turning back to Even and Olette in the truck, throwing them a thumbs up. “Put that in your blazer’s inner pocket,” she started the engine of the convertible, quickly shifting into gear and peeling out of the driveway. “Aqua I want you to listen to me, alright? I won’t have you getting hurt out there, so I’ll need you to follow me and the plan to a T, understand?” 

Larxene’s tone set the entire mood, and Aqua could feel a chunk of ice build up in her stomach. It wasn’t pleasant. But Aqua nodded, remembering the last time she was asked the same request. She tried to think of the mission instead, holding onto the beret on her head. 

“I understand, Larxene.” Aqua said relaxed in the passenger's seat, keeping a steady hand on her head so the beret or wig wouldn’t fly off with the wind. 

It felt like a while since Larxene had first drove Aqua around, but it had only been two weeks. Time didn’t feel normal during this war. 

The sun was just rising over the rolling hillsides, and Aqua gazed at the sunlight peeking over the hills. It was a chilly early morning, little to no clouds in the sky, and the birds were singing their morning song. The countryside was beautiful, but only a few dozen miles from them laid the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. The land didn’t feel so beautiful once people knew of the evil that laid right by them. Aqua feared that Terra was going to be transported to one after his interrogations. 

The car ride lasted another good hour and a half, and soon they were close to the border of the Netherlands, far from Eraqus in the farmhouse. They were next to the Ems river, a scenic drive and only minutes away to getting Terra back. Larxene had to pull over only once, and that was to check papers. They had forged papers, saying they were visiting from Berlin, to interrogate a fugitive. Surprisingly, the officers believed them, setting them back on their way. As soon as they found the driveway to the containment center, Larxene pulled in and they were stopped by soldiers in front. 

Two soldiers came up to the side of the car, a rifle over each of their shoulders. The first raised an eyebrow, snarling. “What are two women doing here? This is a nazi facility, only military personnel are allowed here.” His friend snickered, looking over his shoulder. 

Larxene cleared her throat, pulling off her sunglasses. “Excuse me, but I believe my lovely lady and I here have to go into that facility. We were called here to interrogate and transport your most valuable prisoner, Terra Erde.” She handed the forged papers to the men, a smile curling to her lips. “I mean, if you don’t want us, then we’ll just return to our leader, and tell him of your mishap...” 

Aqua frowned, nodding. “It would be a shame if we couldn’t help you get any other news out of him,” she paused, clearing her throat. “Oh you know… Before he’s killed.” She couldn’t believe what she was saying. 

The soldiers shook their heads, handing the papers off to the other, and then back to Larxene. “Your truck? Where is it? You wouldn’t be taking that fugitive back in this beauty would you?” The one asked, looking up and down the car. “He’s been torn up pretty badly.” 

Larxene bit her cheek, feeling Aqua squeeze her arm, and nodding. “Our truck is coming behind, a man is driving, and a woman is in the back, ready to load him in then. But we also have some information to give to your superiors.” she pulled a strand of hair behind her ear, sighing. “What is your superior’s name?” 

“Lieutenant Sauer. He should be in his offices. But before you go, where are your armbands?” 

The blonde smiled, folding the papers and giving them to Aqua. “Of course, they are in our suitcase in the back. We wouldn’t want them to blow away in the wind while we drove, now would we?” Larxene narrowed her eyes, a harsh tone in her voice. 

“Of course.” The officer said, motioning his hand to someone inside the booth beside them. They raised the bar, and Larxene set the car back into gear. 

“It was nice to meet you boys!” Larxene cooed, waving to them before driving through the gate. She immediately frowned as they passed them, glancing at Aqua as they drove through a line of trees on both sides of the lane. 

“This is just the beginning, Agent Adelaide. “ Larxene whispered, giving Aqua a reassuring smile. “We’ll be back home before you know it.” 

The facility was nothing like Aqua had imagined. It was bigger than she thought, and it gave off an awkward pleasant glow to it. Trees shade the right side of the building, while a plain laid next door. A train track was just a little bit further down the lane, behind the facility, but there was no plan for them to visit that. The outside of the building looked awfully similar to a hospital, and there was an empty pond in the front roundabout. Larxene parked the car, handing the mentioned armbands out. 

“These are our official tickets in, Adelaide.” Larxene smiled to her again, slipping the disgraceful armband up her sleeve, and then Aqua’s. She leaned in, close to Aqua’s ear. “You’re doing wonderfully, keep this up and we’ll be out of here in no time.” she whispered, patting her hand. 

Aqua nodded, opening the side door of the car, grabbing the manilla folder with the secret information for the Gestapo, and exiting. She smoothed her skirt, and repositioned the beret on her head. “Ready to go Liesei? We can’t keep the truck when it arrives!” she asked, turning halfway to meet Larxene’s eyes. 

“Of course.” 

Larxene came around to the other side of the car, standing next to Aqua. She pulled a cigarette out of her back pocket, lighting it with a lighter. Her head motioned in the direction of the front door, and then they were off to the entrance. Aqua led them inside, holding the door for Larxene, who was following close behind. 

A man in a black uniform walked into the entryway, his eyes a familiar shape, yet not a familiar color. His eyes were orange. A menacing, destructive feeling shook off of the man and Aqua blinked, his gaze not leaving her own. She was not comfortable here. 

The man stepped forward, raising an eyebrow. “Are you the two agents from Berlin?” he asked, crossing his arms. “I could have sworn they were going to be men.” He seemed exhausted.

Aqua pursed her lips. “Are you Lieutenant Sauer? We were instructed by your men outside to meet with you before, eh,” she paused, sighing. “Before interrogating your most valuable prisoner, once more.” 

The man nodded, eyeing the manilla envelope. “That is for me, correct?” he questioned, crossing his arms. “I had gotten word that you were releasing information on traitors you were spying on. Is this true?” 

Larxene smiled, taking a drag on her cigarette, flicking ash off of the burning end. “Of course, Sauer, dear. I can’t believe you would underestimate us, just look at how well our girl Marina Lee has been doing. She isn’t that much of a secret for operatives like us.” she giggled, crossing her arms in return as well. 

Sauer groaned, tearing the manilla envelope out of Aqua’s grasp and opening it up. He read over the documents inside, turning his nose up only once. A nervous sweat ran over Aqua, and she slowly returned her hand to her side. Larxene was still smiling, her obvious confidence radiating over Aqua’s nervousness. 

“I believe you have a prisoner to interrogate.” He arrogantly slipped the manilla envelope under his arm, tilting his head behind him. “He’s this way, come on.”

This felt… Too easy to Aqua. She was expecting a shake down, a test…. Anything! She followed closely behind Sauer as he led them to the room, and Larxene was following the line. It looked oddly like a hospital or public building, but the waxed floors and decorated walls were a bit too much. The SS almost tried to make it look homey. 

Much further down the hallway, past dozens of rooms and around a corner laid the true horrors. Medical tables were covered by bloodstained cloth, supposed tools or something… Else was underneath. Some gurneys held body bags, while others empty and waited for patients. The lights overhead were still bright, and they revealed _every_ spot or color of _anything_ on the floor. 

The smells were overwhelming, ranging from rotting, to blood, to bleach cleanser. The staff here seemed to maintain a neat and organized workspace, but sometimes forgetting a few things, like the unsanitary way they kept their tools of torture. But all of this was besides the point, Aqua was completely terrified. 

“He’s in this room here.” Sauer had come to a stop, and Aqua hadn’t even realized. She quickly shook her head, stopping before him. Her head started to ache from the putrid smells, but she kept it to herself, clearing her throat. 

“Is he in stable condition?” Aqua asked, meeting Sauer’s eyes. She felt her lip twitch, but she ignored her antics. “I’m sure you’ve done more than enough to him, correct?” 

Sauer rose an eyebrow. “Are you questioning our methods, Agent?” he snarled, taking a step forward. “We got the information we needed from him already, but every way we try, he will not reveal the identity of a girl he was spotted with.” 

Aqua nodded, throwing her gaze back to the floor. She started to panic. There was no word that she was sighted with Terra in the past few months! How could they have known? 

“I see,” Larxene but in, taking Aqua’s hand. “We have a criminal to interrogate, A. We should get to work.” Larxene pulled Aqua along, bidding a thank you to Lieutenant Sauer, before disappearing into the room. 

The _room_ , was nothing like either of the women were expecting. It was like a cold, dark, and ominous operating room, but normal hospital room amenities were bunched up in a far corner. The bed (which was mobile for his moving) and patient were square in the center of the room, the head was faced away from the door. The head of the bed was moved upright by a crank on the front of the frame. A phonograph rested in the corner, surrounded by things neither of them had seen before, and an eerie recording of a piano playing Beethoven’s _Moonlight Sonata_ echoed in the room. Aqua needed to grab a hold of her bearings before stepping around the bedside to see him. 

Aqua cleared her throat, assuming her role as Agent Adelaide from the nazi group of the SS. “Mr. Erde, you have been captured on accounts of treason and capital offence against the people of Nazi Germany.” She began, slowly stepping to the side of the bed, making a full eyeshot of Terra in the bed. 

He looked as if his right half was mauled by a bear, an unsanitary plastering of gauze was against his side, holding together what was left of his lower arm. Nasty bruises and cuts littered the top of his chest and left arm, while his his face and neck were left unscaithed. Terra was awake, his eyes tired and scarred only met to a point on the wall, not leaving their place to see his new visitors. He was unshaven, and deep dark circles were formed under his eyes. He was the mere expression of hell. 

Aqua’s eyes couldn’t leave his horrid appearance, but she couldn’t ruin their mission either. She had to pull through. “W-we have been informed that you were seen with a woman, a little less than a month ago in the city of Hamburg. Where is she now?” She crossed her arms, firmly pulling the rest of herself together. 

Terra’s eyes were unshaken for only a moment’s time, before slowly trailing to meet Aqua’s. He was unfazed, looking to the phonograph. “Turn it off.” He said, his voice no higher than a groan. 

Larxene hadn’t lost her character, and she stepped in front of the phonograph, keeping it from Terra’s sights. “We aren’t going to be easy on you, Erde. Make another remark like that, and we’ll force the answer out of you.” She growled. 

He tilted his head, blinking slowly. He was staring straight at Aqua, his body shifting from the uncomfortable position it was before. Aqua could notice how raw his left wrist was from the restraints holding him, as well as the bands around his ankles. She couldn’t imagine how much pain he had to be in. 

“They told me if someone was in here, they would turn the music off.” Terra spoke directly to Aqua, not taking his eyes off of her. It startled her. 

Aqua felt like she was going to throw up. “We can’t all have what we want, Erde.” she turned away from him, keeping her arms crossed firmly over her chest. She observed the table next to the bed, a white sheet draped over the surface, just like the one from the hallway outside. 

Larxene sighed. “If we get someone in here to turn this wretched music off, you’ll speak?” She pursed her lips, resting her hands on her hips. 

Terra hazily turned his nose up, narrowing his eyes at her. “Yes. Whatever you want.” He returned his gaze to Aqua. 

“Fantastic.” Larxene sighed again, leaving the room to find someone for help. 

Aqua could feel him staring her down, and she stiffened. “Stop staring at me. That’s very rude.” She squeezed her arms, glancing over her shoulder at him. 

He flinched, turning his gaze to the end of the bed. “I’ve heard your voice before.” Terra murmured, sighing shortly after. “I can’t remember when I heard your voice before. It’s probably my fucked memory though.” He laughed darkly. 

Aqua hoped that Larxene was going to come back soon. _Moonlight Sonata_ had repeated once already since they had come in, and it was beginning to drive even Aqua crazy. 

“I came from Berlin, it’s impossible. I’m an SS agent, you don’t know me.” Aqua felt the words boiling in her throat, a disgusting taste of bile mingled at the back of her mouth. “I don’t know you Terra Erde.” She felt like a disgrace, feeling a long apology rolling out later. 

Terra groaned. “I’m glad you don’t. But I’m sure, even through my fucked memory, I _know_ I’ve met you. Even as much as you deny it.” He looked away from her back, staring at the phonograph in the corner. 

After a few more minutes, Larxene came back in holding a syringe with something inside. She leant down next to Terra, gaining his attention. “Terra, my name is Larxene, I’m here to help you get out of here. Follow my instructions and listen to exactly I say.” She pulled the syringe up.

Terra’s expression morphed, and he snorted. “You really keep your promises.” 

“Don’t mention it bucko,” she whispered, rubbing a part of his arm. “Anyway, this solution is going to knock you out. We’re going to roll you out and take out of here. Understand?” she shook her head, slapping a part on his arm. “Wait, we don’t have enough time to get your permission slip signed. Just fuckin’ trust me.”  
Terra shrugged, glancing at the other agent in the room. “What about her?” he asked, tilting his head in her direction. 

Larxene groaned. “You’ll find out later, buddy. Good night.” She took the syringe, slowly pushing the needle into his neck, doing the same for the plunger on the end. Within another second or two, Terra was out like a light, his head rested against the headrest of the bed. Larxene threw the syringe at the wall, unlocking the wheels of the gurney. She also lowered the head support of the bed, making it flat. 

“Is it time?” Aqua questioned, her voice a whisper. 

Larxene nodded, pulling the gun out of her coat pocket. “Get your gun. You might not need it, but carry it just in case.” she said, her voice was dark. “We’ve been compromised, but my friend is here helping us.” 

Aqua had no other choice, and she pulled out the handgun Larxene gave to her. She was so afraid they were going to die here. Her hands were shaking, but Larxene moved over, resting a hand over hers. 

“It will be okay, I promise, Aqua. You just have to listen to me, and stay strong.” She said reassuringly, smiling softly. During this moment, gunfire broke out in the hallway, and Aqua jumped a foot in the air. “Stay quiet, and shoot at anything that shoots at you. Do _not_ hold back Aqua, you have to survive.” Larxene whispered, moving to the head of the gurney carrying Terra. 

She started to pull the bed out into the hallway, Aqua followed by pushing the end. It was mostly smooth sailing until they reached the exit. Bodies of SS members were littered around, having been shot by Larxene’s “Help” and left restless on the ground. Other agents including Sauer were behind Aqua, firing a warning shot past her, followed by other shots. 

“Aqua get outside!” Larxene screamed, pointing her handgun at the SS agents. “I’ll hold them off!” she pulled the front door open, rolling the gurney over a body and into the arms of Olette waiting outside. 

Aqua didn’t follow, remembering her orders from earlier. Larxene was behind cover, shooting wildly at the enemy. She was screaming over the gunfire at Aqua to leave, but the girl didn’t leave. 

_“Shoot at anything that shoots at you.”_

Aqua steeled her nerves, pulling back the hammer of her handgun, hiding behind cover and aimed at Lieutenant Sauer. She pulled the trigger and fired.

It was all like slow motion. The bullet flew from the gun, right into the pelvis of the Lieutenant. He was knocked back, and fell to the floor, screaming bloody murder from the shot. Aqua felt her eyes widen, her muscles tense, and she stopped to realize what she had done. She shot someone! The world resumed its current hellish time, and Aqua heard Larxene scream in pain too. 

The blue maiden turned her head, looking at Larxene holding her shoulder. Blood trickled over her hand, but she still shot her gun, taking down another two men next to Sauer. Aqua felt the anger boil up and over her limits, and she pointed the gun at the remaining SS members, tearing off her nazi armband. She fired her handgun, aiming a bit too high and landed one in a man’s head, and another in the man’s foot. The one toppled over dead, and the other fell over from loss of balance. 

As the gunfire stopped, Aqua ran over to Larxene and pulled her up, helping her off the ground. “We have to leave now!” she shouted, pushing the door open. They safely got to the truck, and Aqua helped Larxene inside. 

Just as Aqua was climbing into the truck, one last gunshot was fired, but it seemed louder than the others before. The bullet fired ran right into the girl’s back, knocking her against the railing of the gurney and then the bed of the truck. The pain was worse than anything she had ever felt, and before she knew, the world had just left her. In the black that she was left with, she heard an explosion, and the loud roar of an engine. 

They left.

___

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WELCOME TO HELL!!!!! WELCOME TO HELL!!!!
> 
> I apologize for the LONG ass wait for this one, but I've been busy with end of year stuff for school. I mean the 8.1k words made up for it, right? 
> 
> Some things I'd like to explain here:  
> \- Not all SS members for the German SS were nazis, but this group of people (basically its just the gestapo in this chapter) were affiliated with the nazi regime.  
> -Marina Lee was an actual SS spy at the time for Nazi Germany!  
> -I cut a lot of things that were originally going to happen, like the entrance of Larxene's "friend" who helped them get away from the facility, but I decided to keep them out of the text all together. Other scenes where Aqua exchanged papers personally with Ansem was going to be another part, but was cut due to time. There were endless possibilites for this chapter, but I believe the final cut was simply the best one!  
> \- Larxene obtained her cigarettes from a German Soldier back in the village near the farmhouse. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed (not so much probably, haha) this chapter, and I hope to see you in the next one!! <3


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He closed his eyes, resting his head against the wall. “I can’t trust anyone, Larxene. You know that.” Terra replied, slowly. “You’ve helped me enough… I just want to take care of her by myself. She wanted to do so many things with me after the war, and I had promised her I would help her get there. I remember the first time we met…” he trailed off, sighing. 
> 
> “She was so curious, so naive, so…young. But I was taken aback by her elegance, and I knew I was under strict warning by Eraqus to only check on her, but I couldn’t help myself and I wanted to become her friend.” Terra told Larxene, the feeling of nostalgia building in his chest. “We had argued, bickered, apologized… but I never told her anything about me. Then I had left her. Two years without her was hell. I got drunk everyday, holed myself up in the east and refused to move.”

A warm sickly feeling overcame Terra, his eyes shooting open to see the carved ceiling of a truck. Smells of blood and antiseptic, the roar of a moving car over road, and the stinging feeling of clean bandages and gauze over his wounded arm. There was the occasional bounce from the road, and it made him feel just a bit more nauseous. He turned his head, looking for anything, or anyone around himself, and he saw Larxene scrambling to do something with another girl. 

“What…” He croaked, his voice sounding like sandpaper, but his throat felt like fire. His view was blocked by the side rail of the gurney, but he saw blood covering both Larxene and the other girl’s hands. Her shirt was torn, a nasty bloodstain covering the upper left hand portion. She was hurt too.

Terra couldn’t describe what expression Larxene was wearing, his mind still fuzzy and popping from the intense medicine from the facility. He was trying to lean on his side to see who… or _what_ they were working on, but the pain from his forearm was too much. Sounds of panicked talking from the heat of the moment meant nothing to him right now, he couldn’t even tell what the hell they were saying. Everything was too much of a blur. 

He stared into the ceiling for a few more minutes, before a hot pinching feeling jabbed into his undamaged arm and a thick liquid traveled through his veins. It was _disgustingly_ thick, and he could taste it in the back of his throat. It had the same tang like the drug Larxene had given him at the facility, and he believed it was the same narcotic. 

It was not long before he was seeing the darkness again, and he almost liked it this way. 

\--

**The Farmhouse, Summer of 1944**

Terra woke up once again, this time, he was comforted by the feeling of a soft pillow against his head, and the breeze of summer air against his cheek. 

He was back at the farmhouse, and it was a pleasant summer night outside. Chirping and clicking of insects and animals outside echoed in the room, while the curtains blew with the gentle breeze coming in. A single lamp was brightening the room and it’s rays softly covered a good quarter of the room. Terra could hear talking from outside the door, and it sounded like a crowd. He wanted to stand up and go outside, but his legs were numb and he wasn’t sure if he could stand.

Terra forced himself to sit up, relying solely on his good arm to push his upper body up. He managed to get in a sitting position, but his back was shooting awful pains all over his body. His legs were another problem, since he was bedridden for such a long time. He tried to imagine the feeling of walking again and how much he loved walking around town with Aqua. 

He stopped, staring straight into the dresser across from his place on the bed. His mind was suddenly reeling with excitement to see Aqua again. Now he had a reason to get up and walk around! He wanted to go see her!!

But as per the usual, the thought was much easier than the execution. Terra was stuck staring at his legs, sitting on the edge of the bed, imagining what it was like to feel his legs again. 

He thought…. And thought…. And thought.

His eyes didn’t leave his lower body, and he was determined to get out of bed. The torture didn’t do anything to his legs, and he distinctly remembers being moved before he was rescued, but it had to have been days since he’s walked. At least he wasn’t paralyzed. 

It took him longer than he expected, feeling like he had sat there for hours, just waiting for a response. As soon as one tiny movement in his foot caught his attention, all of the blood began to rush back down. It was a strange feeling. 

Terra slowly rose from his seat, holding onto a chair beside the bed for most of his support, and gently, he started to walk around. He then got a little too excited, slamming his bad arm into a dresser, and he almost screamed, cursing and groaning under his breath. It hurt like all hell. Then he decided it was time to find something to put over his scarred chest, bruises covered the majority of his lower abdomen. He looked awful. 

There just so happened to be some clothing in the dresser he had knocked into, and he pulled some kind of shirt out, not bothering to look completely picturesque for his first interaction with other good people in a while. He took a deep breath, opening the door to go out into the hallway. People who were affiliated with the allies and British Intelligence, whom of which Terra hadn’t encountered in _years_ , lined the hallway, wide eyed to see Terra up and about so soon. 

They didn’t say anything, most of them turning back to the door they stood outside of. Larxene had walked up from the staircase, her expression just like the others’, but she was hit harder than the others were. She was crying, Terra could tell, but he didn’t know why. The blonde walked to him, taking his good arm and pulled him back into his room again. 

Terra noticed her left arm was in a sling, and she was wearing the same bloodstained shirt from the ride home. “Larxene what is going on?” He asked, watching her closely. 

Larxene cleared her throat, wiping her eyes with her free hand. “I… I failed you, Terra.” she whispered, keeping her hand on the closed door. She didn’t turn around. “I’m sorry.” 

He furrowed his brow. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. What happened?” Terra stepped to the side, trying to gain her attention. “Did something happen to one of the crew members? Are you alright?” he was so lost…

She turned her head, half of her face hiding behind her messy, matted, hair. Her eyes of green were terribly dull, and were tinted red from her tears. “I’m fine, it’s just…” Larxene quivered, resting her head against the door. “She’s not.” 

Terra’s eyes widened, his heart pace taking off like a tornado. He held onto the bedpost, feeling like he was going to fall over. _Aqua_. 

“You sent her out on the mission?” he murmured, his eyes growing distant. He didn’t look up. 

Larxene bit her lip, her face blooming with pink flush. “I tried telling her, Terra… I-I tried to stop her, but she didn’t listen to me!” Her throat was tight, her words squeaking while being said. 

Terra had hazy memories of laying in the interrogation chamber, looking into the eyes and hearing the voice of the girl he loved, but he didn’t realize until now. He kept telling himself that Aqua was safe and alright while he was in that hell, and now he knew that she was never safe. From day one, she was never going to be safe. Uncomfortable moments of silence filled the room, and Terra had to gather his bearings before speaking. 

“You killed her.” 

Larxene’s expression morphed, her brow high. “No! I would never forgive myself if I had seen her die! She’s just not in a stable condition,” 

It was like a weight of thousands of pounds were lifted off of his shoulders, his gaze no longer distant, but instead worried. She was okay…

Terra’s eyes flicked quickly to meet Larxene’s, his gaze full of heat. “Where is she? I need to see her.” he said, stepping forward. 

“She’s not well enough--” 

“I don’t care if she’s well enough or not! Can’t you just listen to me instead of pulling more excuses out of your ass! Let me fucking see her!” he felt his chest tighten up, and he had the feeling to break something. 

Larxene didn’t say anything, she reopened the door, leading Terra back out. There was only one or two others left in the hallway, their expressions devoid of anything good. They must’ve heard Terra’s shouting, and they were not going to add fuel to the fire. The blonde opened the door the others stood outside of, not saying another word. 

Terra walked into the room, realizing it was Aqua’s bedroom. He felt like breaking down right there, just looking around, but he didn’t. He couldn’t.

The decor and furniture had not changed since he was here last, and the same things laid around. New additions like more hat boxes and crates of medical equipment were pushed to one side of the room, while against the wall on the right side of the bed laid Aqua. 

She was laying on her stomach, a generous amount of wrappings covered her bare back, but most of it looked like padding. A variety of bottles and vials covered her bedside table, many of which were liquid solutions. The curtains were drawn, and a dim light illuminated the corner of the room, giving little for Terra to work with. 

A blanket was pulled up to the small of her back, and her long blue hair was neatly against her side. Although she was sleeping, she looked incredibly uncomfortable, explaining the solutions next to the bed. Aqua was holding something in her left hand, while her right hand was at her side.

At first glance, it looked like she wasn’t breathing, but after a short moment of panic that was solved earlier, Terra’s eyes had adjusted to the light in the room and he saw her breathing. He slowly stepped around the bedside, carefully avoiding all of the boxes covering the floor. He finally saw her face, a rush of pain running over Terra. 

He knelt down next to her, feeling his chest tighten up as he gaped at the damage she was in. In his mind, he knew he wouldn’t compare his injuries to hers, since she threw herself into the heat of battle like this. Forget wanting to be brave, Aqua was a heroine. She _saved_ him. 

Terra felt the tightness grow into his throat, and he quietly cleared his throat, not wanting to wake her. He reached over for her hand and held it, running his thumb over her knuckles. He felt tears also bubble up at the back of his throat, and he drew in a sharp breath, feeling the tears coming. 

“Aqua, I’m sorry… My sweet… Sweet _güzel mavi_.” He whispered, his eyes carefully watching her. “You shouldn't have gone through any of this, but I can't think of a life without you.” He added. 

She remained in her calm sleep, not bothered by his voice. Terra figured she was under a couple painkillers or medication, because he knew she wouldn't have been able to sleep without them. He held onto her hand, glancing down to observe the features of it.

“I would never regret our first meeting, but I do regret bringing you into my dangerous life.” Terra felt a tear roll down his cheek, and he tried to ignore his emotions. “You were always too kind to me, and you always waited for me…” He then trailed off, the tightness overtaking his ability to speak. 

Terra cleared his throat again, trying to expel the feeling, but it felt almost impossible. “I’ll wait for you, Aqua. This time I won’t leave you,” he paused, realizing where he was going next, and his heart plummeted into the floor. “I just hope you won’t leave me.” 

He slowly rested his head against her bed, letting the emotions run their course. His thumb was still running across her knuckles and fingers, never wanting to let go. Her recovery wasn’t going to be a pleasant one, and there were going to be too many complications, but he still wanted to help her fight through it. It was the only thing he could do now. 

Terra promised himself that he wasn’t going to return to his line of work. Being an informant has definitely run it’s course for him, and his handicap wasn’t much use either. He decided it was time to slow down, find a place after the war… Probably go back to see his mother. 

A few minutes went by, Terra hadn’t moved and he still held onto Aqua’s hand. He heard shuffling outside in the hallway, a gentle knock then sound at the door. He looked up, letting go of Aqua’s hand to rub his eyes and get himself together. 

The door opened, and the girl from the car ride back walked in. She seemed to be startled by Terra’s presence, and she was about to turn back to the door. 

“No, you’re alright,” Terra said, standing from his spot. “I was just checking on her.” 

The girl nodded. “I don’t know if we had ever met, but my name is Olette. I’m the main doctor… Er…. Here, I suppose.” she trailed off, taking a step forward. “I was just coming in to check on Aqua’s wrappings.” Olette folded her hands in front of herself. 

Terra noticed he was only looking at Aqua. “Yeah, sure, that’s fine.” He stepped out of the way, letting Olette go past and focus on Aqua. “I have a question, Olette.” Terra wasn’t going to leave. 

“What is that, Terra?” Olette asked, gently placing a hand on the bandages against Aqua’s skin, looking like she was ready to change them. 

Terra took a deep breath, hoping deep, deep down that the answer to his question was going to be true. “Is she going to have a full recovery from this? Please tell me the truth,” he questioned, feeling the weights from earlier sink slowly back onto his shoulders. 

Olette didn’t say anything at first, sighing heavily before saying: “Terra, I really don’t wish to come off harsh, in any sort of way, but,” she paused, taking the moment to turn up and look him right in the eye. “No. From all that we have done, I don’t expect her to. Not all people can survive a bullet passing through a disk or two in the spine, our bodies were just not made for it.” Her voice firm. 

Terra didn’t like what he was hearing. “What does that mean? She won’t survive at all? She’s…” He stopped, blinking a few times, attempting to wake up from this nightmare. But it was all too real. “She’s going to die?” His voice cracked. 

Olette shook her head, her eyes wide. “No! No, I wasn’t done explaining. Please do not say things like that.” she replied, her expression hardening. “What I meant, is that I do not see a chance of her walking again.” she stopped what she was doing, returning her gaze to Terra’s. “We did all we could Terra, please believe me, but there isn’t the technology in our _lifetime_ that could repair paraplegia.” 

Terra had to sit down, pulling his hand up to his mouth in shock. He figured it was going to be bad, but he wasn’t expecting her to never walk ever again. His mind was buzzing with reckless abandon, and he almost felt like crying again. This was something he knew she couldn’t do alone… Something he wouldn’t let her do alone. 

“Is she in pain now?” Terra asked, taking his hand away from his mouth. 

Olette shook her head, gently pulling the soiled wrappings off of Aqua’s back. “No. We had put her on emergency painkillers to ease the pain from digging the bullet head out, and we had to stitch the wound closed, but by the time she wakes, she won’t be in any pain from below the injury. It’s a little lower than her middle, but everything is just in the healing process now.” She explained, tossing the old wrappings in a garbage bin. 

The wound was just as Olette had explained; a bit lower than where the center of her spine, the entry point was stitched shut, but there was also bruising and discoloration in the area as well. It must’ve been gruesome to see at first glance, Terra could imagine, but it was just so hard to look at now. Even if it was hours since the accident, it looked brand new. 

Terra didn’t know what to say. He just stared at the awful injury as Olette cleaned it, imagining how deep the bullet went in. From his horrified silence, the room went quiet and was filled with sounds from the wildlife outside. After a certain point, he had to force himself to look away. It all felt too unreal to him. 

“Does anyone else know?” Terra whispered, but it was just loud enough for Olette to hear it. 

Her expression darkened, and she focused on cleaning the rest of Aqua’s injury. Olette didn’t respond for a good few moments. 

“I have only told you and Eraqus.” She responded, dabbing a disinfectant solution to Aqua’s skin. “Eraqus asked me not to tell you, but after I felt like I should’ve. Larxene told me about your relationship with Aqua, and I wouldn't let you think she was dying. I had to tell you.” 

Terra felt like scoffing, wanting to cross his arms, but couldn’t. He was still in too much pain. “That man will never trust me. Not even if I go to the ends of the earth to save his daughter… He wouldn’t even think differently of me.” He rolled his eyes, staring at the floor panels. “I am more than thankful for your judgement. Things might have been much worse for me if you hadn’t.” He added, spotting a familiar satchel on the dresser across from him. 

He stood up, slowly walking to the front of the dresser, and he took the satchel in his hands. “Is this?” He whispered, observing the stitchwork, then the contents inside. Inside was a beautiful pastel orange knit scarf, along with a small antique pill box. It was his satchel, filled with the same items he had it filled with before. All except the silver locket he had, with the tiny photograph of his mother on the inside. 

Terra turned halfway to Aqua laying on the bed, a bittersweet smile bending to his lips. She had once again performed a miracle for him, a miracle that he thought was going to be long lost, but she _saved_ it. She had already saved so much of his, that he was questioning if she was even the girl he had met those six years ago. He couldn’t believe it. 

It was much too warm outside to wear the scarf she made for him, so he had stuffed it back inside the satchel. He kept a hold of the satchel, returning to his seat. He wanted to stay with Aqua until she wakes up, and thank her for everything she’s done… But the first thing he knew she would ask was the feeling in her lower half. When she had none…

Terra shook the thought from his head, hoping to solely rely on his in-moment response. He could feel the awkward tension already build up in his chest, yikes. His thoughts that were just cleared not moments ago, were once again a complete mess. 

The room went quiet again, and even the wildlife outside was making less noise than it was. Olette was silently finishing up Aqua’s wrappings, and even then she was making little to no noise. That sense had become so important to Terra since his days spent in confinement, that song… Looping for hours, until he would finally snap. Any small noise would gather his attention, just because it wasn’t that _song_. 

He had thought about if he would ever have a reaction to Aqua’s piano playing, and the mere thought of him losing it at a single note playing left a serious imprint on himself. Terra wanted her to have something to go to, something to pull her out of the depression she would face from her handicap. That same depression was what he faced now. 

While in his thought, he didn’t even notice Olette slip out of the room. She hadn’t said anything else after their discussion about Aqua’s condition, and he couldn’t help but feel bad for not thanking her. Now he was just left alone with his thoughts again, until Aqua rose from her further induced sleep. Terra had a feeling that it was going to be a while until she would wake up, but he didn’t blame her. 

Terra had risen from his seat, moving closer to Aqua, just to see her in her peaceful sleep. He sat against the wall, across from her place, and he was in the mix of the cluttered floor. She was so calm… So serene. He missed the feeling of her in his arms. 

\--

After a little bit, and a restless waiting game, a knock echoed from the door, almost startling Terra. He sat up, straightening his back against the wall. His eyes loomed over to the door, waiting for the visitor to come in. He could feel sleep wanting to take him, although he didn’t want sleep to take over. 

The door cracked open, a familiar arm poking through it, holding a drink. It was Larxene, and she had cleaned up since they had last spoken, and she was also drinking. She entered the room, a drink in both of her hands, and she closed the door with her hip. She walked over to Terra, holding out a drink to him. 

“Here,” she said, a small grin lining her cheeks. “I figured it would be better if we were both drinking to ask you what’s going on.” She whispered, probably thinking that she might wake Aqua.

Terra stuck his nose up, involuntarily reaching up for the glass with his right hand, quickly remembering that he can’t even grab it. As soon as he did take the glass from her, he turned away from her, looking off in another direction. 

Larxene sighed, joining him on the floor. She took a sip of her drink, resting it back in her other hand. Terra noticed her staring at Aqua, and he couldn’t help but feel jealous. He could admit that he was thankful that Larxene didn’t let Aqua die out there, but he was upset that she didn’t stop her. His unnecessary attitude was probably driving everyone up a wall. 

She cleared her throat. “Before you end up in a pissy fit, even though I saved your goddamn life,” she paused, staring at the floor. “I’d like you to know that I told her several times, before you even left, that getting involved could be fatal. But she didn’t listen to me.” 

Terra turned back to her, taking in some of whatever Larxene had brought him. He was being _too_ stubborn. 

“I suppose you’re not going to talk?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. “Alright, fine. We’ll just sit here in fucking silence until you grow up.” Larxene snarled, looking away. 

He sighed, taking more of the alcohol from the glass. “I’m not in a particularly good mood, Larxene. Just calm down, christ.” Terra set his drink on the floor, gazing sadly down at his handicap. “I’m disappointed, I suppose. I knew just meeting her would put a target on her bac--” he stopped just before he could finish. 

Larxene shook her head. “It’s alright, Terra, I’m not upset at you. We just both happen to have the worst jobs in the world, and we can’t meet anyone new without them getting hurt in the end.” Her eyes loomed to the door, and she sighed. “I know that all far too well.” 

They sat in silence for a long period of time, each of them occasionally taking a drink, and it was nothing special. It was awkward. Neither of them knew what to say after that, and it was just purely tension. The cries from wildlife outside made way back, but they didn’t stay. 

Terra wondered if he should tell Larxene about how serious Aqua’s injuries were, since he didn’t feel like it would be a well-kept secret between them. He knew that Aqua was friends with just about everyone, and she wouldn’t want them to worry about her… but a part of him couldn’t trust Larxene. He had learned to not trust certain people from his long years as an informant. 

“Did anyone tell you anything about Aqua’s condition?” He questioned, finally glancing over at Larxene. 

Her expression darkened. “No one trusts me enough to tell me. It’s not too surprising to say the least.” She shrugged, eyes slowly falling to the door.

Larxene had finished her drink first, but happened to pull a glass bottle of booze from her sling, and Terra wasn’t exactly surprised. She topped off her glass, setting the bottle on the floor. 

Terra snorted, looking straight at the blonde. “Well I figure that I should tell you, since I have a slight feeling that you’ll be here for a bit longer.” He slowly returned his gaze to the floor. 

The woman narrowed her eyes. “Why do you say that?” She crossed her legs out in front of herself. 

“Larxene, Aqua isn’t going to want to talk to me all the time. She needs a friend to talk to… And I thought you would stay for her anyway.” 

She nodded, turning to Aqua. “Aqua’s one of my best friends. I can’t deny that.” Larxene whispered, her mouth curling to a frown. She drank the rest of the alcohol that was in her glass, again. 

Terra took a deep breath, his brow lowering. He had to take a moment, gathering his thoughts before throwing Larxene headfirst into the bad news. “Olette said that she wouldn’t be in any pain, and that she would survive, but…” He paused, feeling nauseous. 

“But, what?” Larxene asked, her eyes wide. 

“Aqua is paralyzed from the waist down. She won’t be able to walk. Again.” Terra felt the tightness return in his chest, and he had to stop again. He wanted to know who did it. 

Larxene turned to Aqua resting on the bed. She then lowered her head, taking a deep breath. Her expression changed a few times, almost like she didn’t know how to react to the news, and Terra didn’t blame her. 

“That’s um,” Larxene squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head. “ _Ever_ again? Like… Forever?” Her voice cracked. 

Terra slowly nodded, gazing at the ice melting in his drink. “Forever, Larxene…” He trailed off. “But I’ll help her. I promise to you, that I will help her.” 

The blonde knew all too well to not deny him, so she agreed knowing that he would pull through somehow. “What about yourself?” She asked, and her voice felt like a knife. “Terra… Your arm is nowhere near usable, we had to put thick stitches on both sides of your forearm to keep it from falling apart. How are you going to be able to help Aqua if you can’t help yourself first?” Larxene looked genuinely concerned. 

Terra shook his head, avoiding the blonde’s eyes. “This sounds a lot like an interrogation.” He snorted. 

Larxene groaned, resting her free arm on her lap. “You’re _so_ fucking stubborn, Erde. I’m just trying to reason or somehow reach an impasse with you, or something-- it’s impossible to even speak to you right now.” She took another drink, narrowing her eyes. “I’m trying to help you. I’m not an enemy anymore, I want to be a friend.” Her voice was stabbing into Terra like knives again. 

He closed his eyes, resting his head against the wall. “I can’t trust anyone, Larxene. You know that.” Terra replied, slowly. “You’ve helped me enough… I just want to take care of her by myself. She wanted to do so many things with me after the war, and I had promised her I would help her get there. I remember the first time we met…” he trailed off, sighing. 

“She was so curious, so naive, so…young. But I was taken aback by her elegance, and I knew I was under strict warning by Eraqus to only check on her, but I couldn’t help myself and I wanted to become her friend.” Terra told Larxene, the feeling of nostalgia building in his chest. “We had argued, bickered, apologized… but I never told her anything about me. Then I had left her. Two years without her was hell. I got drunk everyday, holed myself up in the east and refused to move.” 

Larxene didn’t want to interrupt him. She wanted to hear the rest of his story. “Why did you go back?” she asked. 

Terra laughed darkly, shaking his head. “Like you said before, I’m stubborn.” he cracked a smile, although he didn’t feel like it was all that funny. He didn’t continue his story, figuring it was useless to do. So many already knew it. 

\--

Aqua didn’t know where she was. Everything was far too hazy and confusing for her to comprehend. It was like she was dreaming. 

She opened her eyes, realizing she was on a boat in the middle of a lake. The boat was tied to a dock, and trees and mountains outlined the lake. Fog was hovering just above the water, but it was clear enough to see the dock and shore. The boat rocked back and forth, so naturally. 

The girl was sitting upright in the seat, her back rested against a pillow, that was against the storage compartment for the boat. Her hands were folded over her lap, she wore a black sundress, and a barrette decorated her hair. There was nothing else in the boat but other pillows. No oars, paddles, or even other seats. It was made for one person. 

Aqua didn’t say anything, her eyes were locked ahead at the dock. Terra and Larxene were standing aimlessly on the dock, staring straight back out at her in the boat. They wore haunting expressions, yet she didn’t know why. Everything about her situation was so bizarre, but then she realized, it was a dream. 

She was viewing from the outside, but nothing made any sort of sense. As she observed closely, her dream started to change, and then she was reliving moments from the past. Memories of her living in Hamburg before the war played before her eyes, and she was looking back in again. It was like a strange picture show. 

Aqua wasn’t sure how to make of her situation, but she felt like she was in this state for quite some time. She had relived almost all of the precious memories of her life, when she noticed that the dream apparitions of her friends and loved ones were mumbling something to her, but they made not a sound. She was trying to read their lips and understand what they were trying to get across. 

It took her a moment or two, but then she understood that they were saying _Wake up, Aqua_ , although she wasn’t sure why they wanted her to wake up. She felt fine mentally, and physically, so she couldn’t identify a problem here. She decided to retrace her memories to try and figure out what could have happened. 

The space around her became a bleak, boring, white room. There was no door, window, or article of furniture there. It was empty. Aqua sat against the wall, starting to remember what had happened. She remembered saving Terra from his imprisonment, and getting into the truck. But then she was flooded with the same pain that she felt while entering the truck. It was awful, and it spread all through her body and into her fingertips and toes. She hazily remembers Larxene shouting something and hearing the explosion like they had planned, but everything after that has been her bizarre dream adventure. 

Aqua felt like it was the right time to wake up. It was rather lonely being stuck in her dreams by herself, and she wanted to see Terra and Larxene again. It felt like forever since she had seen them…

\--

Terra and Larxene had been sitting in Aqua’s bedroom, for what felt like years. They only spoke every so often, and they agreed between the two of them that the conversation would be stale if they had opened their mouths. They kept drinking, but after Terra could feel intoxication bear way into his senses, he immediately stopped, not wanting to be dead drunk when Aqua woke up. Larxene felt the same way, even though she had more to drink than him. 

The two had been waiting so long, that the sun was peaking over the horizon, but the sunrise was blocked by the dark curtains in the room. Only the outline of the sunrise could be seen. The morning birds began their song, and the cool fresh breeze of a summer morning blew into the room. It had really been hours since they began their wait to see Aqua. 

“What do you think it will be like?” Terra asked, looking over at Larxene. 

Larxene definitely needed to sleep. There were gruesome dark circles gathered under her eyes, and she wasn’t able to stay focused very long. But she carried on, ignoring Terra’s comments about her appearance. 

“What are you talking about?” Larxene didn’t know what he was talking about. 

He smiled softly, his eyelids heavy, but he didn’t dare let sleep take him. “The future?” Terra didn’t usually talk about this kind of thing, but he figured it was that time of the morning where nothing mattered anymore. “I want to take Aqua all over Europe, visiting so many places… All of the places she’s always wished to visit.” 

“Oh… That.” Larxene murmured, nodding. “I don’t know, Terra. I suppose I’d return to my tavern in Marseille, or I’ll move to America.” She smiled too. “I might just stay here for a bit, but I don’t know.” She replied.

Terra sighed. “I need to take Aqua to Switzerland, and Italy… Maybe even Hungary or Austria.” He thought about the millions of other places he could take her, but the one place he knew she would want to go is to meet his mother. That is something she hadn’t given up hope on. 

“I think…” Larxene paused, glancing at Terra and then at Aqua. “I think she’d go wherever you’d take her.” She said, forcing a smile. “I’ve seen the way she’s spoken about you, how she’s worried about you… How she feels about you… She loves you, Terra.” Larxene looked almost defeated, but an awkward expression morphed onto her cheeks. “Aqua had never stopped playing that piano you bought for her. She played so often, she would stay up until late hours in the night. It was something that reminded her of what she loved.” 

Terra laughed softly, shaking his head. “That was really sappy, Larxene.” he grinned, looking over at the blonde. “Thanks for telling me though… I wished her feelings were like that.” 

Larxene raised an eyebrow, returning his grin. “I appreciate your realization of how much of a fucking sap I am.” she joined in his laughter, gazing at the bottle of liquor on the floor. “At least staying up all night and drinking put you in a better mood.” 

He nodded, shrugging a bit. “Alcohol is the end of all sorrows, from what an old man told me once. And it turns out that the old fuck was right. Proven after a long ass night with nothing to do.” Terra took a deep breath, smiling at Aqua. “Everything will be alright.” 

Larxene didn’t know what to say to that, so she just nodded, agreeing with him in silence. 

The room had remained quiet, and the sun was beaming behind the curtains. Terra could feel sleep crawl up into his subconscious faster with every minute, but he still continued to fight it. Minutes continued to pass, and by the time Terra looked over to ask Larxene what time it was, she was fast asleep against a box. He wasn’t bothered by it, as he figured she didn’t sleep at all since before their mission, but he wished he had someone to talk to. 

Terra then finally let his body rest, feeling his eyelids close, and he had momentarily fallen asleep. He was breathing deeply, and the world was slipping away so easily. He didn’t have any dreams, but instead was just met with the darkness of rest. A few minutes or so must have gone by, because Terra was awoken by hearing Aqua and Larxene’s voices. 

“Shh, shh, Aqua it will be alright, you’re fine. You’re not dying, it's alright--” Larxene said, her voice quiet. 

“N-no, Larxene, I can’t feel my legs! I don’t know what to do!” Aqua didn’t sound as calm as Larxene. 

Terra shook awake, almost jumping out of his skin. His eyes were wide open, and he watched as Larxene slipped a loose top on Aqua, resting her upright in bed. He felt like crying, just seeing Aqua responsive and awake. 

Aqua stared at him, her hair was a wild mess, a good portion of her face just covered by it. Her eyes… were just as he remembered. The same eyes he saw when she was undercover and rescuing him. She didn’t move an inch, but her mouth twitched with words, but she said nothing. 

“Aqua you’re awake!” Terra cried, scrambling to his feet. He met to her bedside, leaning over and pulling her into his arms. “I was so, so, so worried about you, my _güzel mavi_.” He whispered into her ear, ignoring the rush of discomfort in his right arm. 

Aqua slowly embraced him, holding on to his shoulders. She lent back, leaving a kiss on his lips. “I’ve missed you more than ever. More than any other time you left. But…” she trailed off. 

Terra pulled back, brushing her hair out of her face. He knew exactly what she was going to say, what she was going to ask him. Yet he wished he had prepared for it. “Anything, _sevgili_. What is troubling, you?” 

Her face blanched, and she took a moment to respond, her eyes staring at the foot of the bed. “I got injured… Didn’t I?” Aqua asked, her lip quivering. “Is that…” she paused. “Is that why I can’t feel my legs?” She turned to him. 

Terra took a deep breath, sitting on the bed next to her. “I don’t wish to make you upset in any way, Aqua, I truly do not, but…” he stopped, gathering his thoughts. “Olette had told me that you aren’t going to be able to walk… I don’t know who did this to you, but believe me when I say that I wish that you hadn’t come to save me.” he didn’t want to sound harsh but he felt like he was. 

Aqua didn’t say anything, her eyes bubbling up with tears. Terra quickly shook his head, grabbing onto her hand. 

“I don’t mean that I’m not grateful, and I’ll be forever in debt to what you did, but I just didn’t want you risking your life for mine.” he whispered, feeling tears of his own tickle at the back of his throat. “You are my hero, Aqua. You have saved so much of mine, that I feel that you’re too good for me.” Terra didn’t raise his voice. 

“Don’t say that Terra,” Aqua smiled gently, squeezing his hand. “I was the one who agreed to save you, I wanted you to live, just as much as you want me to live.” she replied, clearing her throat. “We have to support each other with our…” Aqua trailed off. 

“Handicaps.” Terra finished for her. 

Aqua nodded, gazing at his bandaged forearm. She didn’t look scared anymore, she just wore an expression of sorrow, like she had lost a friend. It amazed Terra how quickly she overcame the news. He wasn’t expecting her to lose her mind, since she was far more reserved than that, but it seemed too simple. She had accepted what had become of her future.

“I hope you’re feeling alright. I was worried to heaven and back about your health.” Aqua’s smile faltered. 

Terra bit his lip, shaking his head. “I’m fine, Aqua. You should worry about yourself now.” he murmured, unable to help himself from smiling. “You’re too kind to me.”

She did her best to rest against his chest, taking a deep breath. “I’m glad you’re alright, Terra.” she said, blinking her tears away. 

He nodded, wrapping his good arm around her waist. “I’m glad we’re alive.” 

“Me too, Terra.” Aqua closed her eyes, a quiet sigh escaping her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise!!! New chapter in only 3 weeks flat! 
> 
> I'm ever so grateful for all of the responses I've been getting from you all, and I am so glad that you're enjoying the story!! I'm so, so, SO happy for all of your views and comments! Thank you so much!! <3  
> The dream sequence that Aqua has is actually a scene from the X-files! A show that I have become increasingly obsessed in recently!! (i am creating some aus at the moment for the show and for a otp that i like so idk it might be a thing that i write! but definately after this!!)
> 
> The end is nearing sooner than we thought, and I believe my friends that there is about 3-4 more chapters in store, minus the epilogue. Things have to be wrapped up, and I doubt they will be longer than any other chapters that have already been released. I'd expect 2k to 4k tops! (Quote me on that)
> 
> Thank you so much for the unending support, and I hope to see you in the next chapter! <3


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was her disability, even if she didn’t want to blame all of her problems one the greatest one she faced. That’s just what she overheard her father and Terra bickering about. 
> 
> She knew they never had civil discussions anymore, spitting out insults and excuses at each other, and Aqua hated it all. She was taken outside often by the help of Larxene, just out to the backyard patio, so Aqua didn’t hear their fighting. Larxene comforted her, talked to her, and helped her through it. The blonde would never let the disagreements reach a screaming match, and returned inside to pull the two apart. Aqua anticipated the day when she would have to step in, putting the two in their places.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out Franz Schubert's Trio No. 2 In E-Flat Major D.929 Op.100 2nd Movement, because I have been addicted to this specific movement after finishing Presentable Liberty. I feel like it sets the tone for this chapter too. ;3

**Weeks Later**

Aqua had been practically glued to her bed, only getting assistance from Larxene or Terra to do small tasks. Terra hadn’t left her side, since he still didn’t feel right enough to talk to any of the remaining visitors in the farmhouse, but he did give her space when she asked for it, only rarely. He had noticed Aqua acting a bit distant, and he could tell it was the depression setting in. 

Larxene was trying to convince Eraqus to make things more accessible for Aqua at the farmhouse, knowing she wasn’t going to be able to make it up or down stairs on her own. Eraqus wanted almost nothing to do with both Larxene or Terra, since he halfheartedly blamed them for his daughter's paralysis. He was still too far into his own rancor on the situation. Aqua spoke to him once or twice about her condition, but he was very brief. 

On the other hand, Larxene was conversing with Terra about a prosthetic for his arm, and a wheelchair for Aqua. Aqua wasn’t aware of their chats but she had asked her father about the question of mobility. He only nodded and quickly delved into another topic, completely avoiding the idea. She didn’t say anything to him about it, but Aqua did ask Larxene a few times. 

Larxene had said yes, telling her that she was looking into it frequently. But since the war seemed like it was going to continue, for god knows how long, Larxene was mostly concerned about their safety than anything. She kept in contact with her friends from the British SS, making sure that they weren’t being trailed, or followed. Especially after their scene breaking Terra out. 

Aqua tried to remain positive, working on knitting, sewing, or other small things she could work on while being bedridden. It was now her dream to be able to travel and to gain mobility, instead of remaining in her home for the rest of her life. She often lost herself to just looking out the window at the plains beyond the trees and plants surrounding the farmhouse perimeter. She could find the uncomfortable tension and sympathy in conversations that she shared with her loved ones, the underlying anger and distress that they feel for her because of her newly obtained disability. 

\--

It was now the afternoon, and Aqua was gazing out at the grass following the wind. She admired how beautiful the countryside really was, since she never had the time to look at each little detail. But now she did observe everything in great detail, and she found herself never getting bored of it. 

It was her disability, even if she didn’t want to blame all of her problems one the greatest one she faced. That’s just what she overheard her father and Terra bickering about. 

She knew they never had civil discussions anymore, spitting out insults and excuses at each other, and Aqua hated it all. She was taken outside often by the help of Larxene, just out to the backyard patio, so Aqua didn’t hear their fighting. Larxene comforted her, talked to her, and helped her through it. The blonde would never let the disagreements reach a screaming match, and returned inside to pull the two apart. Aqua anticipated the day when she would have to step in, putting the two in their places.

Aqua sighed. She stared at the pen and paper in her lap, a blank page in her notebook almost glared back at the blue-haired woman while she decided what to write about. Nothing was coming to mind, so she closed her notebook, and reunited the pen with its cap. She tried writing as another outlet to her creativity, but as she realized while halfway through a story that she was writing, that it was all of her emotions hidden under words and sentences in her stories. Aqua decided that writing music was her forte. 

The window she sat next to had one of the best views in the entire farmhouse, as it was perched at the best angle to see the countryside. Breezes blew in occasionally, and reminded Aqua that she was just sitting there, doing absolutely nothing. It was deathly boring, and she was losing her mind in that silence. She wished to hear the sound of her piano again, or the melodies of jazz and romances on the radio… Silence was full of fear, and it reminded her of the long days where she couldn’t listen to music or play the piano. It never relaxed her while she was alone. 

Aqua fell asleep in her chair, unaware of how much time had gone by, before she was awoken by a gentle touch. She reopened her eyes, hazily opening to see tired sea-blue ones close to her. She tilted her head, smiling and reaching out to smooth his hair. Aqua leaned forward, falling against his shoulder. 

“You were asleep again.” he told her, his arms wrapping around her form. “You can’t sleep all day, Aqua. It isn’t good for you.” 

Aqua sighed into his neck, feeling how unshaven he had become. It was awkward, but she didn’t care. “Terra… I’m sorry. You should’ve come in and gotten me a while ago.” she whispered, leaning back into the chair, just so she can see his eyes. “You need to sleep more… Your eyes are so much darker than they have to be, and your nightmares frighten me too.” 

Terra shook his head, brushing the hair away from her face. “You worry too much, _güzel mavi_. I’ll be alright, I promise.” he gazed into her eyes. “I shouldn’t say that, since I had said that so many times before… and I couldn’t even keep that promise.” He rested his head against hers. 

The woman giggled, her eyes squeezing shut. She pressed a kiss to his cheek, breaking off into small giggles again. 

“What?” Terra asked. Her laugh was making him smile, and he couldn’t help but laugh a little too. “What? Was it something I said?” 

Aqua leaned back again. “It’s been years since you’ve started to call me _güzel mavi_ , and you told me that you would tell me what it means… But you haven’t yet!” she was still smiling, her hands held onto his. “I think it’s become a pet name for me! You call me that so often!” She blushed.

“But it’s true to what you are, Aqua!” Terra always loved the way her cheeks bloomed up red. She still wore silly expressions, defended her ideals, and fought her way through all hell. He almost felt inadequate to how great she was. “Do you really want to know what it means?”

Aqua nodded, squeezing his hand. “I really want to.” 

Terra smirked, kneeling down on the floor. “It means beautiful blue.” he went right to the point, chuckling. “I can be honest with you, it wasn’t that well formulated. I just kept calling you that because it was cute.” 

She gave him a wide smile, resting against the back of the chair again. Aqua took a deep breath, hair falling in her face as she set her head against the wing of the chair. 

“I hope it will always be like this.” she whispered, unable to stop smiling. “These comfortable silences we have, and both of us know how the other is feeling with just a glance.” Aqua’s brow lowered, pinching in the center. 

She always loved sharing silence with Terra.

Just as Aqua had just said, Terra read her expression and he knew something was bugging her. “What is wrong?” he didn’t raise his voice. Like earlier, he reached up to move hair away from her face. She wasn’t wearing the clip in her hair. 

Aqua reached out, gently running her hand against his cheek. “I’ve known you for six years… yet it feels like we have never met.” she frowned. Terra kissed her palm, lowering his head. A surge ran through Aqua, and she felt her eyebrow twitch. “ I want to know more about you, Terra. Your life as an informant is over, and you shouldn’t fear me…” she trailed off. 

“I love you, Terra… I’ll never let you be taken away from me.” she lowered her hand, pulling the silver locket off from around her neck. She gazed at it, holding it out for Terra to take. “I kept this safe for you. I know it’s very precious to you, and I didn’t let anything happen to it.” 

He didn’t take it right away, wide-eyed at the necklace. His head shook, and he turned up to look at Aqua, his eyebrows pinching together. “Where did you get this? I thought I had it with my other things…” Slowly, he reached out to take it, holding it in his hand. Terra wished he could open it himself. “Could you open it, please…” he asked. 

Aqua didn’t say anything, running her nail down the part, just like how she had done only weeks ago when he was first taken from the barn. She closely observed how he changed when he saw the woman inside the locket, his eyes closed. “I wore that around my neck every day that you weren’t with me. I wanted something to remind me of what I was fighting for, and with one tiny glance, I knew I had to rescue you.” she told him.

She wasn’t expecting him to say anything in return, knowing that he was still surprised from everything. They had been hidden in the farmhouse for weeks together, and Terra was still not used to everything. She understood that it all was so exhausting, and Aqua tried her best to help, but without the use of her legs it was too hard for her to do a lot. Her dream was to gain mobility, all for the chance to travel through Europe with Terra. 

“Aqua?” Terra asked, his eyes glued to the open locket. He was completely enamored. 

Aqua leant against the armchair. “Yes, Terra?” she smiled softly, waves of sleepiness running her over. 

Terra closed the locket, clenching his fist around it. “Let me take you to bed, alright? You’re falling asleep again.” he pulled the locket over her head, resting it around her neck. “That’ll be safer with you than it will with me.” 

The woman nodded, holding onto the locket. “I’ll keep it safe for as long as you want.” Aqua murmured, pushing herself a bit out of the chair. “Don’t pick me up if your arm is going to ache again, please. I don’t want to hurt you.” 

He shook his head, standing up and rolling his sleeves up. “I’ve been fine for the past few weeks, _güzel mavi_. Besides, Larxene is busy. I can’t let her beat me out for carrying you around, I _am_ stronger than her.” Terra grinned, stepping to the side of the chair. “Okay, ready?” 

“Ready.” 

Terra tightly grabbed onto her waist with his left hand, and he slipped his other arm under her legs, picking her right up off the chair. He stood still for a moment, shaking a funny feeling away. “See? Everything’s just fine.” He began to walk out of the study with her tightly secured in his grasp, and off into the hallway. 

Aqua huffed, biting her cheek. She fiddled with the hem of her blouse. 

“What’s wrong?” Terra carefully stepped into her bedroom, glancing at her occasionally as he walked. “Something is definitely wrong if you’re acting like that.”

“I’m tired of having people do things for me, Terra.” she looked down. 

Terra shook his head, snorting. “We do it because we love you, Aqua. You saved me from my death in that hell-hole--” he cut himself off, gulping. “You rescued me from the grounds I had well thought to be my resting place. I wasn’t ready to die, and I know so many didn’t want me to die either.” 

Aqua didn’t say anything, only nodding along to what he was saying. She wrapped her arm around his shoulders, occasionally running her hand through his hair. As he reached the side of her bed, Terra rested her on the bed, gingerly removing his still-wrapped right forearm out from beneath her legs. She had scooted over, making room for him to sit next to her. 

“And I know you wouldn’t have wanted me dead either.” he stared at her legs, tilting his head to the side. “Yet… I never wanted you to give them something in return.” Terra then forced his view from her. 

She pulled herself up from her lying position, stuffing a pillow behind her back, sitting against it. Aqua sighed again, watching the floor. “We all have to make sacrifices for the ones we care about. Besides, we _are_ both alive, we just have a few bumps in our path.” Aqua exhaled, grabbing his hand. 

“We are stronger than this, Terra. Everything will be alright.” she reassured him. 

\--

Larxene had left the farmhouse for two days, not stating to Aqua her exact intentions for her departure. Terra had known well of what her shenanigans were going to be, but he didn’t tell Aqua. The woman had become skeptical halfway through the first day. She asked and asked, but Terra still refused to tell her. 

Eventually, after enough pestering from Aqua and her curious demeanor, Terra then only told her that it was a covert operation. That ended the majority of Aqua’s curiosity, but she still worried about Larxene. She wished that she could get in contact with her...

They were reduced to little use of the phone in the farmhouse, only used by Eraqus most of the day for his business matters. It drove Terra mad how secluded and quiet the man had become, often mumbling to himself of his frustrations. They were not happy in the same household, but it all came down to one factor. Aqua. 

With Larxene not at the farmhouse for those long, seemingly unending two days, the two men’s arguments had quieted down to little pecks here and there. They both cared and loved Aqua so much, and they would never want her to get in the middle of their petty arguments. 

It was the last night before Larxene was to arrive back at the farmhouse, during the quiet time of the evening, Aqua was relaxing and reading over sheet music on the sofa. Terra was helping her move into a bedroom on the first floor, just past the study, and he was carrying some of her things back and forth. The woman had asked him several times if she could help him, but she didn’t know in what way she could. She couldn’t move!

The sun was still setting in the sky, and it was close to eight thirty. Things were quiet, and eventually Terra had gotten tired enough and sat next to Aqua on the sofa. She rested her head on his shoulder, reading the sheet music and visualized the keys, playing the finger movements as she read. 

Terra watched silently as her fingers went along the parchment, observing her eyes as they moved with the notes in the music. He was always amazed at her spectacular talent. “You’re still worried that I would do something if you’d play the piano…” he whispered, kissing the top of her head. 

Aqua stopped, letting go of a small sigh. “I’m worried about your nightmares, Terra. You wake up at least once or twice in the night, and I hear you open my door and check on me… It’s sweet that you care that much about me, but I want you to take care of yourself too.” she whispered in return, matching the loudness of his voice. 

“But I have been taking care of myself--” 

“No, you have not!” she scolded, interrupting him before he could finish. “You need to start worrying about yourself more than me, I’ll be alright. But I want to help you with your nightmares, in whatever way I could.” Aqua tilted her head up to see his eyes. 

Terra bit his cheek. “I don’t know what to tell you… They’re just nightmares of the things the Gestapo did to me, and I’d rather you go on not knowing what they were.” he looked away, almost embarrassed. 

Aqua turned on her side, facing him completely. She returned the music sheets to the portfolio, tying it closed. “I know more than what I should, Terra.” her hand reached out to his cheek, turning his head in her direction. “I’ve committed sins that I’m sure I’ll never be forgiven for, but I did them so I could save you. I did them so we could be together again, no matter what the hardships may be afterwards.” her eyes darkened, fluttering shut for a moment. 

“A man with silver hair, pumpkin orange eyes, and a deceivingly similar skin tone as yours; led Larxene and I back to you… And I want to know if he had told you who he was, by any chance.” Aqua opened her eyes again, folding her hands over his left forearm. 

“Ansem Erde. Once my brother, but now he’s a stranger.” Terra uttered, gazing far off to the other side of the room. He lifted his handless arm, resting it over his lap. “He’s the one who did this to me.” 

Aqua’s eyes widened, and her brow furrowed. “Your… brother?” she whispered. “But you had told me he had died in an accident, along with your father.” 

He glanced at her. “As I had thought,” his voice was low. “But he briefly explained to me that he had survived, clearly, and made his way into the Nazi Regime. Becoming a friend of Adolf Hitler.” Terra explained, his expression completely devoid of emotion. “I felt like such a fool in there, being toyed with by my own brother.” 

The woman turned her head down, resting a hand on her own lap. “I think he knew who I was, Terra.” she murmured. “The second Larxene and I had stepped inside, he gave me this peculiar look, one I believe you had once given me, and it made me nervous. His face was far too familiar, but I was stricken with anxiety that I couldn’t think of where I had seen such a face before. Then…” she trailed off. 

Terra faced her, waiting for her to go on. 

“Once I saw you lying in that terrifying room, I realized that you shared his same skin and face.” Aqua’s brow knit together. “As we were making our escape, Larxene and I were trapped in the front lobby in a shoot out. I was trying to take cover, but Larxene got hurt, and I was afraid for my life… and I-” she looked down, remembering the horror. “I shot and killed a man, right in my nervous frenzy, and proceeded to shoot Sauer and another two men.” 

“Aqua… why didn’t you tell me this?” he asked, gingerly squeezing her hand. 

She shook her head. “I couldn’t bring myself to do it.” Aqua’s voice got lower with each word. “But I didn’t kill your brother, I didn’t, and I think he crawled out after Larxene and I as we were climbing in the truck. I think he was the one who shot me.” she hid behind her hair. 

Terra wrapped an arm around her shoulders, he rested his head against hers. “But you’re safe now, Aqua… You don’t have to worry anymore.” he whispered in her ear. “We’re safe together.” 

Aqua turned her head up, studying his features for the millionth time. “I know.” she smiled softly, pressing her lips against his. 

Although Aqua had grown quite fond of kissing Terra, this single moment when she did, it felt like the first kiss they ever shared together. She couldn’t understand why it did. It felt all too fresh, so new, but it shouldn’t be. The first time they had shared such an intimate moment, so many years ago, didn’t have the same passion. 

Aqua then left his lips, beginning to leave a trail of kisses on his cheek, following the line of his jaw to his neck. Terra’s grasp on her shoulder tightened, and he pulled her in closer. She peppered his neck with light kisses, eventually moving back up to his cheek, then his lips. The woman laughed, observing the blush in Terra’s cheeks. Her hands cupped both of his cheeks, and she was unable to contain her giggles. 

Just as she had wanted to kiss him more, she felt like someone else was staring at her, and she slowly turned her head. Over in the doorway from the western hallway stood her father, his arms crossed and his brow low. His eyes were narrow, and he stared directly at Aqua. Her eyes went wide.

Aqua felt heat run all through her body, blood rushing to her cheeks, and she blushed in embarrassment. She quickly pulled her hands away from Terra, and she lowered her head, hiding deep in her azure mane. Terra had looked back at the doorway, meeting Eraqus’ eyes immediately. He unwrapped his arm from around Aqua’s shoulders, and he cleared his throat. 

“Good evening, Eraqus.” Terra greeted calmly, keeping his gaze straight ahead at the eastern side of the house. He bit the inside of his cheek on the same spot from earlier, and he gave a quick look to Aqua, but he couldn’t see her eyes. 

Eraqus had approached the back of the sofa, slowly walking around while he kept his eyes on Terra. It was almost as if he was circling his prey. The old man sat in the armchair across from the two on the sofa, and he rested against the back of the chair. “You two were getting acquainted with each other again…” he trailed off, looking at the ground. “Not that it is any of my business, of course.” 

Terra raised an eyebrow. “If it was really none of your business, old _friend_ ,” he let the words burn deep, because he knew that neither him nor Eraqus were going to come out of this unscathed. The room had gone deathly silent in his pause. “Then why did you feel the need to come in here and interrupt?” Terra asked, resting his elbow against the armrest of the loveseat. 

The old man snorted, turning his head. “Oh? I didn’t think the living room of my own home was to become an intimate place for those to flaunt their sexual desires. Then again, I don’t remember ever coming across such a place in my days… ever.” Eraqus narrowed his eyes again, folding his hands over his lap. 

“It isn’t as easy as you wished for us to get the privacy we want sometimes.” Terra rebuked just as Eraqus finished, his voice a tad higher than he had hoped. He could feel the fire in his stomach building up. “You just so happen to hole yourself up all the time, unless you feel like starting an argument.” he tilted his head. “It’s because of me, isn’t it? You don’t like how I’m interfering with your life? Is that right, Eraqus?” 

This argument had gone from zero to sixty faster than any of them had hoped. Aqua finally turned her head up, looking at Terra, then back to her father. “That… can’t be true, can it?” she whispered, her eyebrows pinching together. 

 

“Don’t you dare chastise me, Erde.” Eraqus warned, his voice low. “You know you never had a place in this home, stop attempting to file in like the rest of your rat friends. You were always a rat, nothing more.” he spat. 

Terra laughed darkly, raising his eyebrows. “I can’t believe you’re right, I mean, who the hell even knows… You’ve always been right. Haven’t you? Can’t stop for one single moment to perhaps consider everything before you?” he stopped, shaking his head. “Why the hell am I asking all of the questions?” 

“I couldn’t answer that, even if I even wanted to.” 

The Turk nodded. “Right.” he paused again, taking in the sweet uncomfortable silence he used to crave while on assignment. In that moment, the argument began to feel more and more like one of his encounters during his working days. “Tell me, Eraqus, what are the things you hate about me?” 

Eraqus glanced at Aqua, slowly shifting in his seat. “There are far too many to count. If I am being honest with you… which I am.” he replied bitterly, thinking for a moment. “You got too close to my daughter. I had told you when you first stepped foot into my household, six years ago, specifically not to.” The man grabbed the armrests of the chair. “Now you two are in love. Isn’t that right?” his eyes burning deep into Aqua’s. 

Terra grit his teeth. “Leave Aqua out of this. All of this is between you and me. She has no place in this argument.” he growled, tilting his head. “You should know damn well that she’s capable of making her own decisions. Let her go.” 

Their eyes all fell to Aqua, who stared intently at her hands on her lap. She looked up at her father, blinking a few times. Her eyes wandered from him for a moment, inspecting everything around him, but not exactly looking at him. Aqua knew she couldn’t say anything. She remembered when they had fought, the night Terra was swept away to the institution. All of the things and people she put on the line, _just_ to save him. 

“Do you think I was lying that night of our argument, papa?” she asked, her voice hoarse. Aqua took a few deep breaths staring right at her father. She waited for him to say something, patiently and silently waiting. 

The old man shared a quick look with Terra. “I think you may have been caught up in all of the chaos, perhaps even exaggerating, but I knew you were not lying.” he told her. Terra inhaled sharply, standing from his seat. He started to pace behind Aqua. 

Aqua’s eyebrows pinched together, her mouth twitching with uncertainty. “Why would you think that?” she whispered, her eyes falling to the floor. She wasn’t upset, she was just disappointed. “Do you not think that I could ever find someone who would love me? That I could share that same love in return?” Aqua continued. 

Eraqus shook his head. “Aqua that’s not at all what I meant, I worry about you, and I want you to be happy--” 

“Then what did you mean?” she refused to raise the volume of her voice. “I’ve always known that you never would get along together… since the first day you had introduced me to him.” Aqua trailed off.

“But I still cannot believe that you would assume that I didn’t love him enough, after I sacrificed more than I was able to give. More than you had ever given in the wars you fought in.” she finished, her eyes meeting right to her father’s. “Believe me, please…” 

Eraqus turned away from her. He took a deep breath, crossing his legs. “I never meant for you to ever think that I didn’t believe you, nor that you sacrificed your freedom for…” he trailed off, watching Terra as he still paced back and forth. “For...nothing.” he paused again, uncrossing his legs and standing up. “I promise I won’t hold you back anymore, Aqua. I was the one who was being selfish, but you-” he directed towards Terra, who then in turn stopped to hazily look over. 

“You do anything, _anything_ at all to Aqua that hurts her, then I will personally send you back to that madhouse you were sent to.” Eraqus barked, crossing his arms and parading back to where he came. 

Aqua couldn’t help but still endure disappointment from her father’s actions. She sighed deeply, facing the window. “I honestly didn’t think that it was going to rain today.” she calmly pulled her portfolio from beside her, opening the cover again to read over it all once more. 

The clouds outside began to build up, and right after her small comment, the rain started to come down. Within the next few minutes of the ambiance echoing in the house, the weather intensified and it began to pour. Terra stepped up beside the front door, peeking past the curtains to see the rain fall. It amazed him how closely Aqua knew what the weather was going to be like. 

He turned around, taking the seat beside Aqua again, and they resumed their evening before the whole conniption unfolded. Terra relaxed, echoing Aqua’s sigh. 

“Your father still pisses me off, Aqua.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a wonderfully paced chapter in my opinion, even though some things could have been a little different. Got some of that good 'ol fluff in there (remember when that was actually a thing I wrote???) and also Terra repeating a lot of the same stuff to Aqua cause he's still super paranoid about everything. But that will change within the last few chapters. Home stretch guys!!! WHOOOT WE'VE MADE IT!!
> 
> After a long break from my 50k landmark, I decided to actually start this beast up one last time and get the chapters out before I depart for con season this year. Hopefully if I'm on time with things and actually gather my thoughts in the right places this wonderful thing should be finished by the second week of August. Or perhaps the end of August. Depending on the alignment of the moon and stars. 
> 
> I've been focused mostly on my drabbles, my star wars fic, and developing more aus that I could write for this. It might be a while before I begin to publish another long work like this for Kingdom Hearts, but I can't decipher the future, so it might not... I couldn't tell you. Even after almost TWO years of running this Ao3 (next month), I'm still dedicated to creating content for Terra/Aqua. Maybe even dedicated enough to writing a good portion of the tag (which I've noticed that I give a nice sized portion to it already haha...) someday. I definitely want to create something good for my 2nd anniversary, but not entirely sure what that will be. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and I hope to see you in the next chapter! <3


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You can't go through life alone, Terra."

Larxene bursted through the front door, a wide smile on her face, as well as new makeup. “I’m home!” she cheered, stepping beside the door. “I have gifts for everyone! Straight from overseas.” 

Aqua was nestled on the loveseat, reading a book. She was so relieved to see Larxene in once piece, but she wasn’t expecting any rewards or presents. “Larxene! You’re home!” she smiled, holding her arms out for a hug. 

Larxene barreled over, pulling the paraplegic into a massive hug. She kissed Aqua’s cheek, squeezing her. “I’ve missed you so much, my dear. Oh, it was quite the journey, but I’ll tell you about it later,” she smoothed Aqua’s hair, releasing her from the tight hug. “Right now, I have to tell these chumps to bring everything in...but I’ll be right back.” 

The woman sat patiently on the sofa, marking the page in her book with the ribbon, and closed it. After another moment or two, Larxene returned through the front door, holding gift bags and boxes. She was followed by men carrying in a large wooden crate, as well as several other boxes. They set the crate and boxes over against the wall, stacking them up, until the pile met to the back of Eraqus’ wingback chair. 

“Larxene, what is all of this?” Aqua asked, leaning over to oogle at the boxes. She wished she could walk over and observe them closer… 

The blonde set her gift bags down in a neat order on the coffee table, tossing the boxes on the wingback behind her. “Just think of it all as a late birthday present, for everyone.” she replied, winking at Aqua. She stepped out of the house briefly to speak with the men that helped her, paying them, and then she returned inside, holding the suitcase she had departed with two days ago. 

Aqua rested her arm on the end of the loveseat. “My birthday was back in January, Larxene.” she smiled softly, setting her head over her arm. She was always so exhausted… 

“It’s never too late to celebrate, my darling.” Larxene cooed, peeling off the same trench coat she wore when they first met. Aqua didn’t know how Larxene could wear such a thing in the summertime. “Where’s your Terra? I have some things for him as well for his birthday…” she stepped over to peek down the hallways, turning back around when she didn’t see anyone. 

“He’s upstairs resting,” Aqua sighed, looking at the floor. “Terra didn’t get much sleep last night. His nightmares have gotten worse over the past few weeks.” she trailed off, beginning to play with a strand of her hair. Larxene sat next to Aqua on the sofa. 

The blonde crossed her legs, brushing dust off her thigh, and resting her back against the sofa. “I don’t blame him. He…certainly was a trooper, but he isn’t perfect. So these things were to be expected.” 

Aqua nodded. “I understand that.” she stared at the stitching on the sofa, folding her hands over her lap. “Do you want anything to drink? We have some fresh tea in the cupboard, and I know the kettle is probably empty by now since Terra and I had some tea together earlier…” 

Larxene smiled, shaking her head. “I’m fine right now, Aqua. Thank you for asking, but I’ll probably wait until we’re all down here together.” she tapped her nails against the side table beside the sofa. After a minute, she turned around, looking all over the main room. “Where’s your father? Usually I’d get an earful from him by now,” 

“He had to travel to Italy, leaving early this morning to catch the first train in town.” Aqua explained, blinking slowly. “Father said he would be a few days late to see you return home. But he doesn’t like it when I call it your home, or Terra’s home. He always tells me it was never your home.” she told Larxene, narrowing her eyes. 

The guest tensed, resting her head against her hand. “He is right about that much. I appreciate all that you and your father have sacrificed to house both Terra and I, and I know I could never fully repay you for it.” Larxene’s eyebrow twitched, and her eyes fell to the sofa cushion. 

Aqua frowned. “I don’t want any amends, Larxene. I did what was right.” her voice fell to a guttural whisper. “I don’t want anyone to suffer anymore… I just want this war to end so there can be peace and resolve again. Too many innocent souls are being taken.” She sighed. 

“Terra has already forced himself to do penance for his wrongdoings… Yet he doesn’t live with the heavy burden of murder.” 

Larxene shifted in her seat. “It was self defense, Aqua. Either your life or theirs… You did the right thing.” she reassured her, trying to ease her guilt. 

Aqua didn’t respond. 

Silence filled the corners, but this silence wasn’t the kind Aqua liked. She figured she would rest and wait until Terra came back down to talk about anything else. There wasn’t anything more she wished to discuss with Larxene, but she didn’t feel bad. 

She had no reason to feel bad. 

\---

Aqua must’ve fallen asleep without even realizing it, and before she knew it, she was hearing Larxene and Terra arguing off in the kitchen. They were a few rooms down, but it sounded like they were standing right behind Aqua. They were _so_ loud. 

The azure woman sat up, rubbing her eyes from sleep. Larxene’s haul was still packed in the corner, and the smell of her perfume lingered in the room. Aqua took note that it was already nighttime, the late summer crickets were at full blast, and the odd jingling of a collar could be heard behind the sofa. She turned around, spotting a white persian cat waltzing around the living room, and she had no idea how this animal got into the house. The cat’s eyes met Aqua’s and it meowed, jumping onto the sofa from its seat on the floor. 

Aqua’s eyes widened, but she couldn’t tell if she was giddy from excitement, or afraid of this cat in her house. It clearly wasn’t a wild cat, since it wore a leather collar with a bell, and it’s pelt was too well maintained to be from the outdoors. It must’ve been someone's pet at a time. The cat sat down on the cushions next to Aqua, beginning to groom itself. 

She shifted in her seat, noticing that the window beside the entrance to the study was open, and she deducted that the cat had come through there. As the cat groomed itself, Aqua stared at it and slowly reached out to pet it. She eventually just set her hand on the cat’s back, and the cat froze and rolled back to playfully rub against her hand and arm. 

“Stop it! That tickles!” Aqua laughed, as the cat’s paws tapped against her skin. The cat seemed to be enjoying itself, continuing to roll around and let Aqua pet it’s stomach. 

It stopped after a moment, nestling closely to Aqua’s side and began to fall asleep. Aqua stroked the cat’s back, hearing it’s soft purr was making her drowsy again. She didn’t even know how long she was asleep before, but it didn’t really matter anyway. Her eyelids didn’t feel heavy, but her mind protested for more rest. It seemed to be that way recently. 

The warmth and purring from the mysterious cat was so nice…

Aqua dozed off for only a minute or two, and when she woke back up, the cat was gone from her side and was instead meowing like crazy behind the sofa. She turned around, gazing down at the animal. The cat was staring right at her, still going on and on about whatever it’s troubles may be. Aqua figured it was hungry. 

“Where in the hell is that meowing coming from?” Larxene whined, stomping into the living room. The heels of her shoes clicked against the hardwood, and made an abrupt stop in the doorway from the kitchen. She stuck her nose up, exchanging her gaze between Aqua’s and the animal’s. “How did this cat get in here?” she asked, slowly stepping around the feline to stand before Aqua. The cat kept meowing. 

Aqua shrugged, pointing to the window next to the entrance of the study. “Someone left the window open, I suppose. But I don’t remember either of you opening it.” she told Larxene, crossing her legs and leaning against the cushions on the loveseat. “It did sit next to me and sleep for a bit.” she smiled softly. 

Larxene hurried over to the window to close it, closing the curtains as well. She sighed.

“Why did you bring home a cat Larxene?” Terra questioned, walking to the back of the sofa to pick up the cat. He ruffled Aqua’s hair, grinning as soon as she looked up. “Did you have a good nap?” 

Aqua nodded. “I did. What about you? I was worried that you wouldn’t get any rest.” she took his hand, squeezing it before letting go. 

Terra held the cat with his bad arm, and scratched under it’s chin with his hand. “I got a quick rest in. Not too much, though. The hardest part was falling asleep, and to be honest it was odd not having you upstairs in your old room.” he said, resting the cat back on the loveseat. 

“Some is better than none,” Aqua reassured him, smiling again.

“Um, hello?” Larxene interrupted, waving her hands out. “We can’t just keep that flea bag here in the house! Do you know what cats can do to a household? They destroy everything, eat anything, ignore everyone… they’re evil!” 

Terra snorted, crossing his arms. “Have you ever owned a cat before? They aren’t all that bad, plus they hunt anything that they consider a rodent or intruder, and they’re great for relieving stress.” he remarked, raising an eyebrow. 

Aqua’s eyes brightened. “This cat would be great to have around here!” she rejoiced, pulling the cat into her arms. The cat didn’t move, it didn’t care. “It would help all of us be in better moods, and I’m sure this little guy,” she paused, rubbing the cat’s stomach. “This little guy would help Terra fall asleep too! Since we’re all going to be here for a while, he can help out and do his own share.” 

Larxene’s eyebrow twitched, and she slightly turned from them. “R-right.” she cleared her throat, shaking her head. “It’s your house, you can do whatever you want, Aqua.” 

A brief, uncomfortable moment passed by, and Larxene immediately shifted into another mood. “Anyway, with that aside,” she blinked, forcing a smile to her face. She clapped her hands together, turning back to face Terra and Aqua. “I have very late birthday gifts, slash, normal gifts in general.” 

She turned back around and reached down, pushing aside boxes here and there. Larxene pulled aside a wooden box that was ornately carved and glazed a chestnut brown, a golden seal decorated the front, and it was carefully set on the chair beside her. She messed around with a crate full of patterned fabrics, some of black, and many spools of thread were organized to the side. 

“I took the liberty of getting both of you new clothing, since…” Larxene trailed off, glancing back to them, then quickly back to the crates beside her. “Since you haven’t got much here in Europe. I mean, no one really does anymore, right?” 

No one responded to her comment, and she just went along with whatever she was doing. The cat was left to itself, and Aqua and Terra watched on as Larxene continued to talk about her trip to America. Clearly she didn’t leave empty handed. 

Larxene sighed. “Since all of those Americans these days want to upkeep their image during the war, they’ve developed their own fashion trends in Hollywood. I brought a few here that a friend had gotten there, but I’ll go through all of that with you two later. I’d rather give you the more important reasons of why I went across the Atlantic.” she stacked the crates aside and left a path to the largest one. 

Terra rose an eyebrow, walking over to the armchair that held the orate box. “Why did you do this?” he questioned. “We could’ve done just fine without you literally giving us the tools to survive comfortably for the rest of the war. I don’t understand why you’d do this.” 

“Because she want’s us to be okay, Terra.” Aqua said, tilting her head. “Larxene, I appreciate all of this, but you risked so much, didn’t you? I wished you wouldn’t have done that…” Aqua trailed off. 

Larxene nodded. “Aqua’s right,” she replied curtly, standing and turning to face Terra. Her eyes narrowed. “Stop thinking I’ll turn my back on you. I’m not an enemy anymore, and clearly I want nothing more to do with being an informant as you do. I didn’t have to go to the trouble of getting any of this for you.” 

“I don’t need you telling me what you didn’t have to do, I never asked for you to interfere with my work, but here you are.” Terra rebuked, just as bitterly as she had answered. 

“I never wanted to get involved with you, but you came knocking on my door dru--” 

“Stop it! What is the use in fighting anymore?” Aqua shouted, her voice far above either of theirs. She sighed. “Discuss it amongst yourselves later, I have no wish to be a spectator of your arguments anymore. You especially Terra.” she bit her cheek, looking away from both of them. Terra quickly turns to her, but then lowers his eyes to stare into the rug.

Aqua could feel Larxene’s gaze glomming all over her, but she didn’t care anymore. “Just be grateful for what we now have, please.” she lowered her voice. “There is already far too much hate in the world.” 

Terra and Larxene went silent. They turned to each other, then back to the ground. Aqua hated it when the atmosphere was cold and awkward. She didn’t even think it could still come to this even after the all had become friends. It made her sick to think that there was still distrust, but she couldn’t lie and say that she doesn’t have complete trust for everyone yet. It was just the real world smacking her right across the face, telling her it was time to finally leave her ignorance. 

Larxene cleared her throat, wrapping her hands around her upper arms, and she checked the crates again. “I suppose it's time for me to hand everything out, is it? I mean,” she gulped, stepping next to the window. “It’s important that you two have these things. They aren’t just silly knick knacks, or disposable. They’re something you’ll need.” 

The blonde turned back to face Aqua, walking to the coffee table’s edge. “Terra already knows what I’ve gotten him, but I wanted yours to be a surprise, Aqua.” she told her, forcing another small smile. “God knows how long I’ve got left to spend with you, so I wanted it here before my time is up.” 

Aqua furrowed her brow, ignoring her comment. “I appreciate this Larxene,” she paused, slowly facing Terra. “And since I can tell, you must’ve helped too. You like to do that…Terra.” Just as she said his name in a positive tone, he turned his head up, nodding in response. 

“You deserve it, Aqua.” he smirked, falling back into his normal habit of staring at her. 

Aqua moved her eyes from his form, shifting in her seat. The cat curled up beside her again, purring hard. 

“We thought it was time, please accept our gift to you.” Larxene finished, giving Aqua a simple nod of the head before turning around to the largest crate. She held the edges of the lid, slowly, but surely pulling the lid off. The nails that were keeping the lid against the crate squeaked and nearly screamed from being rustled from their safe positions. Larxene then set the top aside, tossing tufts of packaging stuffing on the floor while she dug out the gift. 

“They couldn’t have put more of this packing stuffing in this thing… Christ almighty just give me it,” Larxene mumbled, bent over in front of the crate “Aha!” she laughed, letting go of the supposed gift to turn around and face Aqua. 

“You have to close your eyes.” 

Aqua sighed. “Do I really have to?” she begged, pursing her lips. 

Larxene set a hand on her hip, shifting her gaze between Aqua and the cat’s. “Yes, you do. It’ll make the surprise even better for you.” she replied, crossing her arms. 

Aqua slowly nodded. “Alright, alright. They’re closing.” she whispered, closing her eyes as she finished her reply. 

Larxene snapped a finger, the charm bracelet around her wrist jingled. “Terra, go make sure she isn’t peeking.” she murmured. 

“I can hear you.” Aqua announced, feeling the cushion beside her to find the cat. “Also I’m not peeking.” 

“She’s not peeking, her eyes are shut tight.” 

Rustling of the crate’s stuffing and whatever was inside of it was all Aqua could hear. Larxene grunted, probably lifting the prize from the crate. The gentle sound of metal touching the ground came from Aqua’s left, and she turned in its direction. The sharp tone of a lock against metal rang in the room, and it still reverberated after a few moments. 

Strong scents of metal polish and fresh leather overwhelmed Aqua’s senses, and something else smelled far too foreign for her to tell what it could be. Perhaps it was antiseptic? All of these strange senses peaked Aqua’s curiosity, and she was eager to find out what the big present was going to be. 

“Open your eyes, Aqua.” 

Aqua obeyed, affixing to the soft lighting in the room, and tried to find the source of the odd scents and sounds. Her gaze came across a glazed brown leather seat, backrest of the same material, shaped steel, and rubber and metal wheels. 

It was a wheelchair. The mobility that Aqua had craved for the past two months, was sitting right beside her, polished and pristine to the eye. She didn’t know what to do, nor did she know what to say. It all felt unreal. 

“Its…” Aqua breathed, her hands covering her face to hide an open mouth. Her hands began to shake, and eyes began to swell with tears of joy. Never had she felt this way before, not even when she received her piano for a gift. It wasn’t her passion that they returned to her this time. 

It was her lifestyle. 

Larxene nodded, glancing at Terra. “Is it what you had hoped for?” she asked, folding her hands in front of herself. Aqua nodded, still unable to say anything, and then both Larxene and Terra knew they had done well. “Terra and I had wanted this since your...diagnosis, and we decided to split all costs for you.” Larxene explained, shrugging. 

Aqua closed her eyes, lowering her head. “I don’t know what to say,” she muttered, folding her hands over her chest. Her throat was tight, and she wanted to just let her emotions fly. Now wasn’t the time, she had to get herself in that chair. “I’d feel guilty if I only said one thank you, but there are just millions of thanks I want to give to you both…” Aqua looked up, exchanging her gaze between Terra and Larxene. 

“You’re far too humble, Aqua.” Terra remarked, resting against the back of the arm chair. He wouldn’t shake his gaze from the woman, forcing himself to look away. 

She laughed, nodding gently. “I suppose you are right, Terra.” Aqua smiled, slowly feasting her eyes back on the pristine wheelchair beside her. She didn’t say anything more, and no one interrupted her silence. 

“I want to get on it.” 

Larxene stepped forward, offering a hand. “Here, let me help you--”

Aqua shook her head. “No!” she stammered quickly, loudly, and flicked her eyes to Larxene’s. “No, I want to do it myself…” she lowered her voice, clearing her throat. “I want to do it myself.” she repeated, focusing on the wheelchair. 

The blonde woman stepped back, nodding. She lowered her hands and folded them across her chest. She looked disappointed. 

Aqua took a deep breath, forcing all of her strength to her arms, slowly rising from the sofa cushion, but she ended up knocking herself to the floor. Terra stood up, walking to the side of the coffee table where Aqua laid. He was ready to help her off of the floor. 

“Don’t help me! I’ll do this myself…” Aqua huffed, brushing the excess hair out of her face. She pulled her legs out straight, and now she only realized how frustrating it was not to feel or use her lower half. “I have to do this for myself.” she whispered, pressing her palms hard against the rug. 

She could admit at the moment that she ached from resting in that terribly awkward position while she rethought her plan, but it didn’t rouse her spirit. Her intentions were still strong, and she started to move slowly to the chair. It felt easier with each small step she crawled. 

Within another minute or two, she reached the bottom of the chair, thinking of how she could pull herself up in it. Aqua nudged the wheelchair, noticing that it didn’t move and that it must’ve been locked in that position. She decided to just wing it, and she used the remainder of whatever strength she had stored, to pull herself, belly first, into the seat of the chair. She managed to flip herself around, and eventually she was sitting straight in the wheelchair. Her heart was racing from dragging her waist and legs as she crawled, but she felt a wide smile pull to her cheeks. 

Aqua slouched, and she started to laugh. 

It had been such a long time since she felt this happy. 

\---

Two weeks had passed since Aqua had first sat in her wheelchair, and she was having the best time rolling around the farmhouse in it. She had more mobility and space to do things she wanted to, and it excited her so much. The list of pros was much longer than any of the cons. The hallways in the house were large enough so she could go through by herself, and even though it was a little tight to turn around sometimes, she managed. She started to play the piano again, and to her relief, Terra was capable of listening without having a panic attack... sometimes. It happened more than either of them wanted it to. 

Terra was managing better than he was, but small things could trigger him into a state of confusion, paranoia, or terror. He had _never_ been in this poor of a state since they had brought him home, and Aqua usually had to help him out of it. She felt the need to be close to him, like he was to her after his escape. His mental state was far worse than both Larxene and Aqua had once thought. To add more to his depleted mental state, he couldn’t get a good night's sleep for more than two days of the week, and even then he wasn’t sure if he could fall asleep. Or from what he told Aqua the next day. She wasn’t sure what to believe. 

He was getting used to the prosthetic hand he had received from Larxene, faster than Aqua had realized. Terra was constantly playing with the fingers by changing the direction of them, carrying more things around for no reason but to understand what he could carry and what he could hold with it, and what the metal enforcements on the last two fingers could be used for. He was completely enamored by the mechanism, and he loved to use it whenever he could. Terra also kept the cat that had wandered in the house, naming him Paco. Aqua was skeptical to keep the name Paco.

Eraqus had returned from his trip three days after Larxene had returned from America, and he was overjoyed to see that Aqua was able to do more independently. He didn’t say much about his trip, but he did return with a letter from Ventus. 

In Ventus’ letter, he explained many of the events that had occurred to him during his stay at university. He expressed the wish to return home from England, but he outright stated that he didn’t believe that Germany would be safe after the war ended. His studies apparently had finished, and he was now living in a cottage southern of London, outside of an old town called Canterbury, working as a teacher to the children in town. He also told that he had become fluent in English, and even partially fluent in French, entailing that his close friend had taught him the language. Ventus wished Aqua the best, hoping that he could return back for even a day or two to see his sister. 

Aqua wished to write back as soon as possible, beginning a letter to him right away after reading her brothers letter. She told him of their move to the countryside, her progress in piano, and how she had met a very wonderful man. Her heart wanted her to explain more in detail of all that happened to her, but she knew that the letter could be intercepted or something of greater risk, so she decided not to pour her thoughts out. Aqua also wrote of the piano she had gotten from the man, and of the dozens of new friends and colleagues she had met during her time at the farmhouse. She finished her letter, and asked her father to send it out right away, which he had accepted to do.  
The blue woman slept better at night knowing that she could keep in touch with her brother for the time being. It had been several years since she had seen Ventus, and she missed him dearly. Aqua had dreams of Ventus meeting Terra for the first time, and finding that they connected well, but then again… those were just her dreams. 

\--

Aqua jumped awake at the sound of a cry, and she could feel her heart racing by the moment as she sat silently for another shrill scream come from the hallway. Nothing else came from the hallway, so she decided to get out of bed and investigate. She pulled the blankets and sheets from her form, and she slowly moved into her wheelchair beside her bed. Her hand felt for the lock, and she set it into the unlocked position. 

She rolled herself to the door, peeking out the door frame into the hallway. Aqua made way into the hallway and could hear heavy breathing and gasping coming from the living room. She immediately wheeled herself into the room, her eyes affixing to the dark room and single candle ablaze on the coffee table. 

The woman quickly realized that it was Terra, and she guessed he had roused awake from a nightmare. Aqua hurried to his side, locking her wheelchair in place and reached for his hand in the dark room. Despite a candle being lit, she still couldn’t see much of anything. 

“Terra? Terra are you alright? It’s me… It’s Aqua,” she whispered, finding his hand to help him out of his nightmare. “Everything is going to be okay, I promise you…” 

Aqua soon caught glimpse of his eyes, and she lent forward to pull him into her arms. “Shh. It’s going to be okay…” she repeated, wrapping her arm around his shoulders. 

Terra was also shaking a little, but he seemed comfortable in her arms. His breathing evened out after quite some time, and Aqua figured he was going to speak after he recovered. She didn’t blame him. 

“Aqua, I’m sorry... “ Terra muttered, speaking into her shoulder. “I’m sorry I woke you up…” he trailed off, nearly taking her off of her chair by how much he was tugging her in his direction. 

Aqua shook her head, running a hand through his hair to comfort him even more. “No, don’t apologize Terra. I wouldn’t have wanted you to suffer through this by yourself. I won’t let you.” she replied, her voice soft. “You’ve helped me through my suffering, now I want to help you.” 

"You can't go through life alone, Terra."

Terra sighed, keeping his head tucked in her neck. At least he felt safe somewhere. “You should go back to bed.” he sighed, again, and he let go of her. Aqua sat back against the backrest in her chair, and she bit her cheek. Terra glanced at her, noting her displeasure. “What?” he asked. 

“I want you to sleep too, y’know.” Aqua said simply, folding her hands over her lap. “You deserve to be happy too-- and don’t chastise me for saying so. It’s my turn to take care of you.” she added, squinting through the dim candlelight to see his eyes. 

She noticed him roll his eyes, and then purse his lips. “Let me take you to bed, Aqua. Then I promise I’ll head upstairs. Alright?” Terra stood up, handing the candle out for Aqua to take. “Here, let me push you.” he murmured, stepping behind her chair. 

She took the candle from him, holding the candlestick firmly. Aqua unlocked the wheels with the lever, and Terra slowly started to wheel her along. She didn’t say anything more. 

The silent trek back to her bedroom was incredibly uncomfortable, and Aqua was surprised that she wasn’t used to the silence yet. Terra set her beside her bed, and Aqua locked the wheels so they wouldn’t move. He took the candle from her and set it on the dresser. 

“May I help you get into bed?” Terra asked, smiling a bit. He sounded exhausted too. 

Aqua gave him a small nod of approval, inching to the edge of the seat for an easier lift. Terra then picked her up, and set her on her mattress. He stepped back, watching as she situated herself. 

He could feel his eyelids getting heavier with each moment that passed on. “Do you need anything else before I head upstairs?” 

“You don’t have to go upstairs if you don’t want to, Terra.” Aqua blinked, pulling the blankets and sheets back overtop of herself. She glanced up at him. He looked like he couldn’t understand what she was getting at. 

Terra shrugged. “But my bed is upstairs. Where else would I sleep if I don’t go upstairs--” he stopped, shaking his head. Under his breath, all he could say was _“Oh.”_

Aqua nodded. “You can sleep here with me,” she paused. “I know you’d be more comfortable with me. But you don’t have to.” she whispered. 

“Only because you offered.” Terra said, walking around to the other side of the bed. 

\---

**First of September 1944**

**The Farmhouse**

Aqua wasn’t sure why Larxene didn’t speak a word to her for the entire day. She didn’t know why she was called to the living room with Terra and her father, to sit down all together and talk with Larxene. Terra and Eraqus both shared the same confusion with Aqua, and they sat briskly in the living room waiting for someone to start a conversation. No one ever did. 

Until Larxene came back from using the telephone, a expression of worry lining her cheeks. Immediately, they knew this wasn’t going to be a simple conversation. She sat down on the sofa, and she took an envelope out of her suit pocket. Her eyes stared blankly at the paper, spending moments gathering her thoughts to speak. 

“You never have good news when your eyes are a cold dark green like that, Larxene,” Aqua stated, tilting her head down in an attempt to meet her eyes. She folded her hands over her lap, patiently waiting for the still employed woman to speak. “It’d be best if you would get right to it. I think we are all quite done with anxious waiting.” Aqua gulped, exhaling deeply. 

The blonde turned her head away from them, her eyes bouncing tirelessly between two points. “You’re right, again… Aqua.” she quaked, steeling her nerves. She took a deep breath, raising her head and blinked. 

“I have taken the liberty of arranging a car to pick us up tomorrow, Terra. We have both extended our stays far too long… and I’m afraid if we stay any longer,” Larxene paused, setting the envelope on the table. “We would all be killed.” she glanced at Aqua, noting all of the color drain from her body. Larxene couldn’t see Aqua with much color anymore, since she herself had squeezed so much of it out, giving bad news over and over again. She could only see the once radiant woman in a awful unsaturated hue. 

Aqua’s eyebrow twitched, forcing herself to keep her calm. “Even after all we’ve done… after all of your _friends_ have done. We’re still not safe.” she muttered, her hands gripping the armrests of her wheelchair. Her head lowered, and the mass of her hair covered her face. It hid her from the world like she used to do so often before. 

“Who is after us?” Terra asked, throwing himself out of the armchair, and began pacing back and forth to attempt to ease his newfound anger. “Why are we being hunted again like wild animals? Dammit Larxene! I thought the Allies would have it out for us. I thought our so acquaintances would help alleviate the stress of throwing us into hiding again!” he couldn’t help himself but raise his voice. It always came to this. 

Larxene shook her head. “My contact wouldn’t say who, Terra! You have to be used to this already, the anonymous contacts, the fucking Gestapo on our trail? How can you not be used to this by now?!” she stood up, taking a step towards him. “The people I work with can’t always pull through. Besides it was hard enough pulling their goddamn teeth to gang everyone up to sing songs around the burning Gestapo institution we destroyed to save you! We decided to risk the life of a civilian, to save you!” her voice rose too, and her face started to burn red.

Aqua gazed through her hair, noting how angry both Terra and Larxene had become. She had not seen Terra this upset since in years. She wished he didn’t have such a short temper. 

“I never asked you to save me!” Terra hissed, the hot frustration burned off of his tongue and lips. “You never had to get involved, but I made the stupid mistake of living in your shanty bar for two years.” he fumed, judging her from head to toe. He looked repulsed. 

“Don’t you ever insult me or my lifestyle. Ever. Again.” she growled, balling her fists. 

Terra rolled his eyes, scoffing. “Please. Wasn’t it apparent that you slept around with Nazis? How else could you have stayed here any longer? You used your power as a sex object to buy your stay here.” he spat, watching the humiliation and anger burn in Larxene’s eyes. 

“Who the fuck told you that?” she screamed, taking one last step near him. “You’re such a fucking bastard!” Larxene’s stance was rigid. She wasn’t planning on making another move. 

Aqua watched on in horror, her mouth shut tight, and she was afraid to say anything. Eraqus also watched on, but his hand was firmly at his side, and Aqua wasn’t sure what he was holding on to. The room went silent, and everyone was waiting for the next match to light. 

“Anyone with eyes could see that, _Brauer_.” The Turk sneered, crossing his arms. 

Within a second of time, Larxene had whipped out a gun from her blazer’s inner pocket, and she pointed it fiercely at Terra. Eraqus stood up, pulling a gun from his side, pointing it at Larxene. He must’ve known this would happen. 

“No!” Aqua shrieked, covering her mouth in terror. She then reached down with one hand, unlocking her wheelchair to move. 

Eraqus threw his arm out to make an attempt to stop Aqua. “Aqua do not move! Stay right there.” he insisted, keeping a strong aim with his one hand. Aqua didn’t move, startled by the tone of her father’s voice. He sounded scared. 

“Both of you, shut the hell up! You two have done enough fighting in my house and in front of Aqua, stop it now!” Eraqus barked, moving his foot an inch forward to stand still. “Larxene put the gun down before I shoot it out of your hand. If you don’t I will call the Gestapo here and let them kill you both.” 

Terra could see right through his threat, walking closer to Larxene, just so close enough that the gun was against his chest. “Go ahead, Larxene. Kill me. It would just soil all of the work you went through to stay close to Aqua, though. And wouldn’t that be a waste.” he whispered, narrowing his eyes. “Don’t think I didn’t notice you swooning after her.” 

Eraqus returned his other hand to the gun in his grasp. He pulled back the safety on the handgun, his finger getting dangerously close to the trigger. 

Aqua didn’t know what to think. There was no time for her to think.

Larxene tilted her head, glancing at Eraqus. She too, pulled back the safety on her handgun, pursing her lips. “What satisfaction would I gain if I did put you six feet under right now?” she asked. “Tell me, Erde. What would I gain?” 

“You’d gain the satisfaction of knowing who sold me out. I wouldn’t. And then I would die a useless man for not even knowing who betrayed me.” Terra replied, calmly. He reached outward, retracting the safety hammer on the gun. It was over.

Eraqus slowly lowered his gun, locking the safety again. He kept the handgun at his side, unsure if it would resume. Aqua was still horrified, hands covering her agape mouth, and her eyes wide as the wheels on her wheelchair. The room fell in silence.

She gained the strength to close her mouth, forcefully gritting her teeth. “Why in your right mind would you ever pull a gun on someone during a verbal fight?” Aqua asked, shaking her head. 

Terra, Larxene, and Eraqus all turned to look at her, as she sat helplessly in her chair. They didn’t say anything. They knew she would've been helpless in a fight like that, but they didn't dare tell her.

“You both promised me, that you would keep your fights to yourself… keep your personal secrets and mysteries to yourselves. But you didn’t. And someone could have died because of your selfish and brutish ways of dealing with a problem.” Aqua trembled, her eyes staring deep into their own, and she shook her head. “I was capable of saying my goodbyes one last time, as I knew you would instinctively go somewhere safe, but now I feel as if you both should leave without me giving either of you any sort of a parting.” 

Larxene shook her head, stepping forward. “Aqua, I’m sorry- I got too carried away, and I couldn’t control my actions… I’m so sorry--”

“Stop apologizing to me when it doesn’t matter anymore! I’m sick of all of the empty sympathies when I know you’ll be at each other’s throat the next second.” Aqua cried, not in sadness, but in anger and exhaustion. “You two might have been doing Europe and the world a favor by working as informants… but you haven’t helped me. I’ve sacrificed _everything_ for you, and you repay me like this. But…” she trailed off. 

Terra stared at the floor, then returned his gaze to Aqua. “I shouldn’t let you repeat yourself every time I initiate something. I let my mind talk rather than my heart, and it hasn’t been fair to you, your father or anyone else.” he explained, unable to lift his eyes from the floor. 

Aqua’s brow pinched together, huffing out a sigh. “But it is not in my nature to hate someone who’s commit sins lesser than my own. And I could never bring myself to hate any of you.” she felt her mouth twitch, and her heart started to ache. The tears picked and scratched at the back of her eyes. “Larxene, tell me who has betrayed Terra.” she raised her eyes one last time to the woman. 

“It was Marluxia. He told me this months before Terra left Marseille.” Larxene stared at the windows, and Aqua could see the tears build up in the blonde’s eyes. 

Aqua nodded, beginning to wheel herself back to her bedroom. “He didn’t only betray Terra, he betrayed us all.” she whispered, rolling past Larxene into the hallway. She said not another word, entering her room and calmly closing her door. It was time for her to be alone. 

The woman went to her bedside, letting her emotions out. She laid her head against her bed, expecting her tears to fall, but none did. She was crying, yes, but there were no tears. This had never happened to Aqua before, since she believed crying was a good way to get things out that she held in too long, and this feeling was too long overdue. 

Outside her door were footsteps, and the sound of someone sliding against the wall beside her door. Aqua immediately knew it was Terra, and she wanted to let him in… but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. The frustration of how idiotic he was acting burned in her heart like a wildfire in gale force winds. He could have died tonight, but he didn’t seem to care. 

-

They then cleared things up between the two of them, and the sadness of the final departure set in as they turned in for the night before. Terra wasn’t ready to say goodbye this time, but it was for his own good. He knew that Aqua would find a way to cope for as long as she needed to, but now that he wasn’t on assignment… it felt meaningless for him to leave. 

He told her countless times the night before that he would never leave her after the war ended. The promises of taking her around Europe still stood, and he reminded her time and time again before she fell asleep. Terra was left to his own thoughts. He then realized it was just another promise to fulfill so he could be happy with Aqua again. 

Even with the feeling of her beside him while she slept was something he knew he would crave in the coming separation. Terra couldn’t even begin to imagine how Aqua could have coped while he left her those three times already. He wasn’t sure how long the feeling could remain in his heart. Maybe he was being selfish?

The next morning had come faster than he wanted it to, and he had shared one last kiss before he had to leave for Switzerland. Terra reassured her that he would come get her, so she could finally meet his mother, and so they could go and visit her brother Ventus in his cottage. Whatever time he had left on this Earth, he wanted to spend it with her. He didn’t want to leave her anymore, and he didn’t want her to suffer anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shoutout to my boi ven and also yall probably thought that eraqus sold terra out haha he didnt it was marluxia. CRAZY TWIST YALL!!! also apparently i like making myself hurt with this otp??? like damn past me i wish i didnt make this so sad with so much separation.
> 
> its like 4 am and im really tired and dont feel like writing a proper note. ive decided that i want this done before i start classes this year for school. thats at the end of august. in a month from today. rip me  
> THIS WILL GET DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> thank you all so much for reading and i hope to see you in the next chapter! <3


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Mid September, 1945**   
>  **Erde Residence, Switzerland**

**Mid September, 1945**  
**Erde Residence, Switzerland**

 

“I know how long you’ve waited, my dear.” Mrs. Erde breathed, rubbing circles into her son’s back. “I know it seems like the end of the world… but it is not. The war is finally over and you two can be together again.” she added, sitting next to him at the kitchen table. 

Terra rubbed his eyes, sighing. He nodded, hazily focusing on the breezy fall day outside. The leaves had started to change color, and some had already fallen to the ground. It mesmerized him. Before him on the table laid the last of the release papers from the British SS, the closest government organization he had ever worked with during his career. A solid eleven years were sacrificed for his occupation as an informant, and he was glad it was short lived. However, deep down he knew that they might ask for his help again one day, but he never wanted to return. 

He set down the pen, turning to his mother. “I understand that, mom. I’ll be sending Xion out tomorrow, to go retrieve Aqua. It might be better if I don’t show my face until all of these are done.” he replied, motioning to the papers in front of him. “I should stay here and figure out what I’m to say to her…” Terra trailed off, biting his cheek. 

Mrs. Erde folded her hands over his, and she rested her head against his shoulder. “I don’t think there is any need to dwell on what you are going to say. You both are older, you both have matured, you are healthier… I’m sure Aqua will be just at a loss as you are. Maybe even more so,” she chimed, squeezing his hand. 

Terra missed the comfort of his mother. It never really made him nostalgic until just in that moment, and he wished he could do more for her. This whole year of being back home with her felt unreal, but he was _so_ happy that he was able to stay with her longer than a few days or a week. He was glad she never had to leave Switzerland and risk her life. In the end, it was the best decision he seemed to have made since the war. His life as an informant used to be filled to the brim with bad decisions and mistakes. 

During his harbor in Switzerland, he had improved his mental and physical health back to better standards, but he still struggled with a few minor flashbacks and panic attacks here and there. It was _much_ better than it was a year ago. Music didn’t actively produce the same traumatic attacks than it had before, and he enjoyed listening to it again. Not that he would seek it out at any given moment, but it made him forget about how far away Aqua was. He really did miss her. 

“I appreciate that, mom.” he smiled, kissing her cheek. “I can bet right now that Aqua must be scribbling down more music on a fresh piece of music parchment, occasionally glancing outside to see another rainy fall day, while that rascal Paco rests beside her on the sofa.” Terra mused, closing his eyes, perfectly imagining the scene. 

“Mom… You’re gonna love her. I see a lot of you in her. You two share the same determination, kindness, selflessness, and I suppose tolerance for me.” he laughed, nodding. 

His mother leant back from him, raising an eyebrow. “Terra, it doesn’t matter if we share similar qualities or traits… She saved your life, and that is all I could have ever wanted. I wouldn’t have wanted to grow old alone, without any of my children left. It isn’t right for a mother’s child to die before her own time.” she said solemnly, trailing off. 

“I understand… Mom.” he whispered. Terra’s brow lowered, and he stared deep into the papers on the table. 

Mrs. Erde stood up, sighing. “Well, it’s nothing to get all worked up about, dear.” she smiled, shaking her head. She picked up the teapot that was tucked right behind Terra’s SS papers, and made her way over to the kettle on the stove. Her hands felt up on the shelf for her jar of tea leaves, pulling it down next to the teapot as she started a fresh brew. “You should finish your paperwork there, and I’ll go help Xion with the laundry. I want to clean the table cloths and bedsheets before Aqua arrives.”

“But she won’t be coming for a few days--” 

“It doesn’t hurt to be a few days prepared, Terra.” his mother interrupted, turning back to grin at him. 

\---

 **The Previous Week**  
**Meister Residence, West Germany**

It was only two weeks since the dissolution of the Nazi Regime, then ending the Third Reich as well. Adolf Hitler was dead, the Allies liberated Berlin, yet everything seemed even more chaotic than before. But with the war now over, there was a terrifying peace that boiled up from the final days of the fight. Germany has split into two different states; West Germany, and East Germany. 

Communism and politics has broken the nation, but it remained safer in the West than the East, and Aqua was thankful for that. Her family had suffered enough, and it was now the time to rebuild. 

Aqua minded her own business, figuring that it would do her absolutely _no_ good. She was able to stay in contact with Ven since her first reply a little over a year ago, and it made her feel better to know that he was safe. The last letter that he sent came just a week after the war ended. He told Aqua how happy he felt that his friend returned from a covert operation in Berlin, safe and sound, and that he was back home in one piece. Ventus also explained in his letter that he wanted to meet the mysterious man that Aqua had mentioned in almost everyone of her letters. He mentioned that his friend knew a man similar to what Aqua had quietly explained in her letters, but he reassured her that it was probably not the same man. Aqua did not know how to reply to that. 

The fresh fall rain had overrun most of the weather for the past few weeks, it was a relaxing ambiance, a lovely view, but it became old very fast. Sometimes, Aqua would find herself spacing out, staring blankly out into the rain. It was very similar to her current situation, and she was lost to the weather. Even though she promised herself that she would revise some of her music, scribbling mistakes here and there through whatever she could. 

The housecat had curled itself up on top of the closed grand, occasionally disturbed by the piano’s sound. Aqua kept it’s name Paco, just as a small memory of Terra. Paco acted exactly the same as it was last year, and it had finally warmed up to Eraqus recently. It helped everyone, just as Aqua expected it to. 

Aqua grew tired of revising sheet music, and decided to turn in to rest for a part of the afternoon. She closed her portfolio, stuffed her pencil inside, and set it on the grand piano’s lid, figuring Paco would ignore it and follow her into the bedroom anyway. She whirled off into her bedroom, taking her time to pull herself into bed, and once she was on top, she snapped the barrette out of her hair and set it on the bedside table. Paco hopped up onto the bed and nestled into her side for their daily afternoon rest. 

After a moment or two, she fell asleep, her head stuffed into her pillow. She didn’t dream. 

In her sleep, noises grew from the main living room, and she vaguely remembers opening her eyes to see Paco get up and leave the bed. Aqua didn’t bother to get up, figuring it was her father doing something, and she had enough of getting mixed in his affairs with work. Unfamiliar voices melded into the noise, and then it peaked Aqua’s curiosity. She roused herself from sleep, taking a sharp breath in as she woke up. Her eyes blinked over and over again, taking in the same dim light from outside. 

The woman pushed her legs over the edge of the bed, sitting up straight. She stretched, running fingers through her hair in an attempt to contain it. The barrette was snapped into her hair, and she felt better than earlier. It took her a moment to compose herself and get into her wheelchair, hoisting herself into the chair after contemplation. Aqua then started to leave her bedroom. She closed her door as soon as she was in the hallway, and she wheeled into the living room. 

On the sofa sat Eraqus and a guest, and in the armchair across from them sat a man with jet black hair and golden-hazel eyes. The man spotted Aqua, his eyes wide with surprise as he stood up to politely welcome her in. It was almost like he saw a ghost. Eraqus followed, and then soon the other guest did. 

The guest next to Eraqus happened to be his stepson Ventus, and he looked so different since the last time Aqua had seen him. He was much taller, his blonde hair was slicked back, and his gentle blue eyes had aged too. He too wore the same expression as the raven man, surprised. 

“Aqua? Is that really you?” Ventus asked, stepping around the sofa, stumbling as he reached the back. He couldn’t believe it. 

Aqua rolled in a bit more, nodding. She knew exactly what he had to be thinking. Her hand reached down to lock the wheelchair in place. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen you, Ven…” she said, her throat tight. She tried to swallow, but it was too hard.

Ven took a step towards her, and she could see all of the disbelief in his face. “Why aren’t you standing up?” he whispered, shaking his head. “C’mon Aqua… You didn’t mention this to me,” he got closer to her. 

Aqua shook her head, feeling her eyebrow twitch. “I can’t… Ven.” she frowned, feeling guilty for not telling him earlier. Her eyes welled. 

“Stand up, Aqua,” he repeated, kneeling to meet her eyes. “You have to.” Ven’s cheeks grew red, his head shaking again. 

“Ventus, she can’t.” Eraqus told him, turning away. He didn’t want to relive this. 

Ventus pulled her into a hug, weeping into her shoulder. “Why didn’t you tell me, Aqua?” he cried. “I don’t know how to feel about this...” 

“I’m so sorry, Ven.” she buried her head into his coat, missing the feeling of him with herself. Aqua has forgotten a lot of how Ventus used to be, and it surprised her how much she could forget in ten years. He had grown so much in between that time… He was so lucky to leave Germany before war struck, but he was so eager to leave for University. In the end, it was better that he had left. 

They sat there together in a tight hug for a few minutes, and it was definitely a long deserved hug. Ten years too long. Eraqus had left the room.

Ven moved back, wiping his eyes. He laughed. “Well, I mean… you’re still in one piece?” he asked, unsure to joke about things already. “That’s good, right? At least you didn’t lose an arm or something.” his voice rose with uncertainty as he watched Aqua’s expression morph. 

Aqua furrowed her brow, folding her hands over her lap. “That is...um, good I suppose.” she trailed off, finally turning her head up to notice her other guest. She sat up, her eyes wide. “I’m sorry, I didn’t introduce myself, we got caught up in our reunion.” she smiled, unlocking her wheelchair. 

The woman carted over to the black-haired man, stopping right before him. She held out a hand, expecting him to shake it. “My name is Aqua Bűvész, I’m Ventus’ step-sister. But, uh… you might’ve already known that.” she greeted warmly with an awkward smile. 

The man straightened his posture, reaching down to grab her hand and leave a kiss on the top. “It is my pleasure, miss. My name is Vanitas Isolé, I became friends with your brother while he was at University.” he said calmly, letting go of her hand. 

Aqua retracted her hand, rubbing her fingers over the skin that still tingled from his kiss. She didn’t understand why she was so confused. “Y-yes, I’ve heard a lot about you,” she quaked, feeling her cheeks bloom up in embarrassment. The only other time that someone had greeted her like that… was Terra, all those years ago. “Please, have a seat…” she watched Ventus walk around to sit on the sofa. 

Ven rested deep into the cushions, sighing. “I forgot to apologize for the short notice, Aqua. Vanitas and I wanted to come back from England as soon as possible,” he told her, using his hands to emphasize his words. He glanced at Vanitas, chuckling. 

“No, no, Ven it’s alright! I’ve missed you so much, and it was better for you to be there instead of here. I involved myself with people who were dangerous, but I don’t regret it.” Aqua explained, locking her wheelchair into place. 

The blonde rose an eyebrow. “Dangerous people? Who were these people?” 

Aqua bit her lip, realizing it was okay to talk about him now. “Remember that man I had told you of, Ven? His name is Terra Erde...and he’s someone I care about dearly.” she could feel herself smile. “He was dangerous, a criminal to the Third Reich, but he also wanted those close to him to not feel the same suffering that he had. But I suppose I’ve gotten too close to him.” her eyes fell to the floorboards, and she shook her head. 

Vanitas’ brow knit together, an odd expression filling his face. “You mean to tell me that you’re the woman he had fallen for…” he said questioningly, crossing his arms. Aqua nodded. “Everyone spoke about you one way or another, Aqua. I saw you there, in the facility before it was destroyed--” 

Aqua’s expression morphed. “How were you there? I-I don’t remember seeing you anywhere.” she whispered, trying to remember the faces of Larxene’s friends. Her hands balled up, and her eyebrows lowered. “It was a bad day…” 

Vanitas nodded, biting his lip. “I’ve mentioned this briefly to Ven. But I wasn’t aware of the extra injuries.” he folded his hands. His gaze darted from her form.

“I’m sorry Aqua, I wish I could have helped you.” Ven said, his voice hoarse. He sat forward, his back hunched over. “Why did you do that, Aqua?” his eyes were dark, but they sat stationary on Aqua’s. 

“I did it because I love him, Ven. I couldn’t let him die in there… I felt as if it was my duty to free him.” Aqua couldn’t help but smile. “It’s that unbreakable connection, the one that only happens once in a lifetime. He matters far too much to me for him to die, and even though I’ve fallen in love with him… he still remains a mystery to me. Even after all of these years.” she trailed off again. 

Ventus raised an eyebrow, resting back against the cushions.”I’m not here to judge you, but I understand what you mean. Terra probably swore up and down that he didn’t want you to be involved, but you threw yourself into the fray… for _him_.” he crossed his arms. “I want to meet this guy.” 

“He’s not too spectacular, Ven.” Vanitas included, watching as Aqua narrowed her eyes in his direction. “We’ve crossed paths a few times during our work, and he’s an average Turk.” he rolled his eyes. 

“He’s Turkish?!” 

Aqua nodded. “Yes, he is.”

Vanitas cleared his throat. “Either way, I don’t think he’s too great. I’m just surprised that someone of your…” he paused, gazing at Aqua. “Someone of your caliber, to find interest in a man like that.” he finished. 

“What do you mean by that?” Aqua asked, partially offended. “Just because you are an informant just as he was, doesn’t mean that I am head over heels for every single one of you.” she lowered her brow. “He was different. Terra… felt different than any of the others that I’ve met.” 

Aqua shifted in her seat, and folded her hands. It didn’t seem like she had anything else to say, and the room fell to silence. Ventus looked around the room, crossing his legs. 

“The farmhouse is certainly a step out of the city life, but I found that a life in the country is much more quaint and quiet. There is no craze from the city.” Ven said matter-of-factly, nodding. “Dad also showed me my new room, and I appreciate that you’ve decorated it already.” he smiled, turning to Aqua. 

Aqua turned her head up, facing him. She was still amazed by how much he’s aged. “It’s quite alright, Ven. I’m pleased that I could make you happy.” she smiled in return. 

“A lot can change in a year and a half.” 

\--

 **Day of Departure**

Aqua loved waking up with the thought of knowing that her brother was back in the house, but she knew that he couldn’t stay long. Ven was able to stay for a few days more, but Vanitas insisted that they return to England. Four days didn’t feel very long at all, and Ven had poured out many apologies to try and compensate. Even though they didn’t last very long when they watched the train start for France. Eraqus took Aqua back home, and they resumed their quiet life hidden in the country. 

It’d been a week since Ven had left, and Aqua was getting hit hard with missing him. She also started to miss Terra again, wondering if he would ever come back. 

While Aqua was resting on the sofa tending to some sewing that had been delayed, the front door shook with gentle knocks on the other side. The blue woman sat up, setting her handiwork aside. She pulled herself off of the sofa and onto her wheelchair, slowly flipping herself around on the seat. 

After another knock, Aqua turned around. “I’m coming, please hold on a moment!” she cried, tirelessly rolling to the door. She turned the handle, opening it slowly. 

Behind the door was a young girl, perhaps no older than seventeen or eighteen, holding an umbrella and a piece of paper with heavy blots of ink splattered over it. She had short black hair, dark skin, and deep blue eyes. The girl reminded Aqua of Terra. 

“Hello, my name is Xion Flores, I’ve been sent here from the Erde residence in Switzerland to retrieve a Miss Aqua Boo-- Bűvész. I’m sorry I’m still a bit sticky on pronouncing everything in German.” she smiled sheepishly, cocking her head. 

Aqua’s eyes widened. “Terra? Did he send you?” she asked, observing each detail of the girl’s face. She was very pretty, and her attire was so similar to what Aqua used to wear when she was her age.

Xion nodded, saying: “Yes! Mr. Terra-- I mean, Terra wanted you to come to Switzerland. He wishes to see you at once, and he hopes that you will be able to depart today. If at all possible.” 

“I don’t see why we couldn’t, Xion. Please, come in while I gather a suitcase.” Aqua replied, welcoming her in and closing the door. She showed her to the seats, smiling gently. “I’ll be right back, please make yourself comfortable.” Aqua’s heart started to pound.

The woman exchanged one last quick look with her guest, her smile twitching to a frown. She set her hands back down on the wheels of her chair, starting to move back to her bedroom. As Aqua reentered her bedroom for the day, she stopped to look around the room, and noticed how little things had changed in a year. They had remodeled it since the year previous, extending the walls from the outside by a few feet, all for her to move around easier. It was fine before, but Eraqus wanted it for her. 

Aqua pulled her suitcase out of the closet, setting it on her lap to carry it over to the bed. She set it on the bed, unlatching the leather buckle straps to open it. After a moment of dusting out the inside lining, she then whirled around her bedroom and gathered clothing for her trip. She wasted not a small second of time, wanting to leave as soon as possible to get to Switzerland. The suitcase was heavy, but she laid it on her lap, rolling it out into the living room where Xion sat. Along with Eraqus, carrying a heavy discussion with the girl. 

“Aqua,” Eraqus whispered, standing from his seat. He walked over to her, taking the luggage from her lap to set it on the ground. “Aqua, how long will you be gone?” he asked, hands on her shoulders. 

The woman forced a smile, slowly turning to the floor. “I don’t know… I want to be with him as long as I can, papa. It’s been a year since I’ve seen him, and there's so much I need to talk to him about… not to mention what I hope to do for the future. If we can.” she explained, far more than she wished, but it was time to talk about it. The future. 

Her father’s gray eyes seemed to darken, and he grimaced, biting his lip. “I suppose it is too late for me to try and change your mind, isn’t it?” he let go of her shoulders, standing up straight. “You’re allowed to do what you want… I just don’t think I am ready.” Eraqus’ voice fell, and his eyebrows knit together. 

“Papa, I don’t believe you will ever be ready for me to leave.” 

Aqua looked up at her father, meeting his eyes. “I promise I’ll be okay. Xion is here to help me, and I know how to handle myself. We’ve all experienced a lot in the past few years, but we’ve learned from it as well.” she said reassuringly, reaching to take his hand. She held onto his hand for a few moments. 

Eraqus sighed. “Aqua…” he turned away from her, staring at Xion behind them. He cleared his throat, gaining the girl’s attention. “Miss Flores? What train will you be taking to Munich? For your first stop, I suppose?” 

Xion faced him, nodding gently. She looked down at the ink blotted paper again, squinting to read the messy handwriting. “I believe the driver will be taking us to Hamburg, where we will then ride for a while to Munich, and then we will arrive in Bern. The train leaves later at four.” the girl explained, holding the paper in her hands. “If we were to leave now, we would be able to comfortably get checked into our car.” 

The old man raised an eyebrow. “How much is this boy spending?” he asked, taking a step towards Xion. 

The girl shrugged. “I am not aware of the costs, sir. I was only instructed to retrieve Aqua here in Germany and bring her back safely to Terra. He did not seemed fazed by a single thing, he just wants to see Miss Aqua.” Xion folded her hands. 

Eraqus rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. “I’m not surprised. He’s usually like that.” he huffed, turning halfway to Aqua. He quickly noted the annoyed expression dead on his daughter’s face, and his attitude dropped. 

“Papa, I believe we should be leaving.” she said simply, swallowing hard. It was hard for Aqua to be stern while talking to her father, but it was time for him to move on. She took his hand, squeezing it. “It’s time for me to go.” she whispered, forcing a smile. 

Her father’s eyebrows knit together, and he knelt down to give his daughter a hug. He hugged her with more force, stronger than any other hug that he had ever given her before, and then pulled away. Eraqus quickly gave Aqua a kiss to her forehead and stood back up, grabbing her suitcase and carrying it over to Xion. 

Xion’s eyes widened, and she nodded, taking the suitcase in her hands. “Miss Aqua will be safe with me, I promise sir.” she said quickly, noticing the piano in the side room. 

Aqua gently sighed, unlocking her wheelchair to make her way over to the front door. She turned up to her father. “Don’t forget to feed Paco twice a day, and do not hesitate to call either Isa or Lea to have them come over and help. They’re just up the road a little ways, and I know they wouldn’t mind.” she told him, emphasizing for the help of her friends. 

“Yes, yes I know. Don’t worry Aqua, I promise I won’t lose my head.” 

“I promise once I get to Switzerland, I’ll phone you, and I’ll do the same when I’m at Terra’s.” Aqua said softly, reaching for the small purse beside the door. Once she firmly had the purse in her lap, she sighed, glancing around the farmhouse’s living room. 

Xion took note of the music portfolio on the sofa, walking over to take it. “Do you not want to take this with you?” she asked, holding it up for them to see. She observed the markings on the leather portfolio that was tied tightly closed together, preventing any of the dozens of sheet music from falling out. 

Aqua shook her head. “I didn’t think I would take it with me. I’m taking a break from writing so I can stay with Terra, Xion… I’m sorry--” 

“We have an upright piano at the chalet! Mrs. Erde used to play with her husband, and I’m sure she wouldn’t mind in the least if you were to play it.” Xion interrupted, smiling wide. 

“Xion, I don’t know… I wanted to spend time with Terra and maybe visit Bern for a little,” the woman’s eyebrows lowered in thought. 

“He’s told me how he misses hearing you play, and that he hopes that you will play for him again…” Xion smiled slyly. 

Eraqus sighed, stepping over to remove himself from the middle of their conversation. 

Aqua watched him, but then quickly returned to decide what she wanted to do. “I suppose I can bring it. We won’t be able to go through everything, only certain things that I’ve wanted to share.” she said, reaching for the portfolio. Xion handed it to her, going back to the front door. 

As that was taken care of, they went silent. It was time to go, but something was keeping Aqua back, and she wasn’t sure what was. Nothing in her mind or heart stood out as important to resolve, since everything had been put in the past. The remainder of murder on her hands had been excused long ago, and she never had a serious issue with her father… until Terra had come into her life. 

Aqua ignored that thought, taking a deep breath. “Alright Xion, let’s go.” she nodded, reaching for the door. 

Aqua opened the door, revealing a car that was waiting to take them to Hamburg. She rolled down the ramp they had added to the two small steps from the front door, and was followed by Xion. A driver stepped out of the car and opened the car door for her, assisting her into the spacious back seat. Xion set the luggage in the trunk, and the driver set the wheelchair in the trunk as well by folding it down. 

Xion eventually joined Aqua in the back seat, and started to chat idly about how much she knew Aqua was going to love Switzerland. She talked so fondly about the country and of what everything was like, and described Terra’s mother and home in far more detail than he had ever done. The driver returned to the front seat after chatting with Eraqus for a few minutes, and Aqua turned to see her father standing in the doorway of the farmhouse waving. 

He still didn’t seem too enthusiastic, but Aqua returned his parting with waving of her own, and then they were off to Hamburg. The drive down her home’s lane felt longer than ever, but that was due to her only leaving once in a blue moon from her home. Xion carried on a conversation and Aqua indulged herself in it as well, trying to ignore her longing to finally leave Germany. 

It was going to be a while until they reached Switzerland. 

-

Hamburg was still partially in ruins from the war, even though most of the debris and rubble had been cleaned from the streets. It made Aqua nostalgic to be driving through the streets she used to walk everyday, and to then drive along the Elbe River to the train station across it. The train station still held its meticulous carving and architecture just as the blue woman remembered, and finally escaping the car to breathe the air of Hamburg before entering the train station didn’t make her miss the city. 

Yes, it was nostalgic to her, but she definitely prefered the clean, crisp, fresh smell of the countryside. The sounds weren’t as calm, nor were the sights. To be honest with herself, it made her stressed out. 

Xion helped her through the train station, hurrying to their gate as it was nearing their time of departure, and she didn’t want to reschedule for another ride. She, and a polite passenger on their train, helped Aqua onto the train up the stairs and back onto her wheelchair. The passenger mentioned that their name was something along the lines of Roderich, but Xion couldn’t specifically remember his name. She was concerned more about getting Aqua in their car. 

Aqua had never been on a train before, and it excited her. She talked with the man who helped her, and briefly discussed pianos before he escaped back to his own car. Xion pushed Aqua’s wheelchair along the tight corridor compartment before pulling into a deluxe sleeper car, one where the corporation decided to add since the Great War for the richer passengers. 

A stewardess from the dining car stepped in their cabin to tell them where they could find everything, and how to get around through the rest of the train. She paid them a polite goodbye, quickly telling them that they were about to depart from the station. The stewardess woman gave one long look at Aqua, staring at her hair and her wheelchair, then she exited their cabin and closed the door behind herself. 

Xion sat on the bed beside the door, resting against the wall. “They told me there are no stops from here to Bern, unless there is an issue. So we should be there by night.” she explained, staring at the other commuters outside in the station. 

Aqua locked her wheelchair in place, moving herself over to the chair at a small table by the window. She glanced around the train cabin, closely observing the fabric that made the curtains, or the neat way that the blankets and sheets were folded on the beds. The table was covered by a lacy tablecloth, and a small box on the table held a vase of flowers in place. The cabin itself was quite tight, but she didn’t care. It was such an experience in itself to be finally travelling, which she had never done. It excited her, it scared her, but most of all, it made her happy beyond belief. Aqua finally had the chance to return to Terra herself, instead of having to suffer though waiting any longer. 

Hours were only separating them now, and soon they could finally be together again. They wouldn’t have to worry about life or death, or being separated for years on end. It was their time to choose what they wanted to do next. 

Aqua had never felt stronger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey everyone!!! i'm sorry i havent been able to update this sooner, ive just been preoccupied with school and also not having internet at home doesnt help.... but if i get my act in gear, i might have the next chapter up before the end of the month, and then followed by the epilogue shortly afterwards. there is literally only one more chapter after this one. its literally the last base now everyone!! this thing has been such a journey, and even though it didnt seem like i was enthusiastic throughout the entire thing, just remember that i was 100%!!! i love this beast so much, and im so proud of it. my first complete multichapter!!! :^) 
> 
> i love you guys so much and thank you so much for the support and help along the way! <3 
> 
> thank you so much for reading and i hope to see you in the next and final chapter!


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And all these memories would come back, in the hauntingly familiar tune of _Mon Dieu_.

__

Brakes squealed to a stop, and the train slowly halted before the travellers in the gate of the train station. Aqua had fallen asleep, but woke up a few minutes before arriving in Bern. She was situated in her wheelchair, waiting for the time to leave. They were assisted again off the train and then were safely on the platform. Aqua was mesmerized by the architecture in the station. 

Windows on the high ceilings filtered in soft evening light, and leaves were gathered at the bottom of the slanted glass. The bustle of people around was welcoming, and had a much better aura to it than those in Hamburg. A flower stand could be seen from the East platform, where they stood, and across from it was a bookshop. A crowd filtered onto the train they just departed from, and cleared out a good portion of the floorspace. 

To the left of them laid two elevators, occupied by a few people who had luggage carts, and children danced around two mothers who were patiently talking amongst the chatter. Aqua found herself entranced in the peaceful view, something that seemed odd for a few weeks after the war ended, but it reassured her that there was still good things in the world. Not that she had ever forgotten, but she had her doubts. 

Xion walked them both over to an elevator, and striked up a conversation with one of the women who asked about Aqua. A child of one of the mothers, probably no older than eight, smiled brightly at Aqua, and then came over to set their small hands over Aqua’s. 

“Are you a war goddess?” he asks, his accent was difficult for Aqua to place him. “My mom told me about goddesses that helped fight in the war, and since it’s over now, that means you’re returning to the place you are safe at, right?” 

Aqua wasn’t too sure what to say. “I don’t believe I am any goddess, but I did fight in the war. For only a day, and that’s why I’m in this chair…” she caught herself, covering her mouth right away. Her eyes lowered away from the child. She hadn’t spoken to a child in what felt like years. 

The little boy tilted his head, a strand of hair falling between his eyes. “No, you’re a goddess all right. Your pretty white dress, your blue hair. Yep,” he nodded. “Mama always told me to keep an eye open for the gods with us, and you are what she was talking about!” 

The boy’s mother had stopped her chatting with Xion to notice her son speaking to Aqua, and she reached down to take his hand. “Honey, we’re going to take the next elevator to give this woman some space. She just arrived here in Bern, and I know you wouldn’t mind, would you?” she asked softly. 

He shook his head, grabbing onto Aqua’s knee. “No, mama! I have to protect the goddess. She was hurt real bad in the war, and I have to make sure she’s safe.” The boy held his ground, glancing between Aqua and his mother. 

“Ma’am, I’m no goddess, and please I wouldn’t mind if we were all to ride together.” Aqua said, turning halfway to look at the woman. 

The woman’s eyes widened, and she lifted her wide-brimmed hat. “Aqua?” 

Aqua’s brow furrowed and she slowly shook her head, unaware of who the mysterious woman could be. “I’m sorry? I don’t know who you are…” she trailed off, observing each detail of the woman. She searched her memory, attempting to recognize anything about the woman. Nothing came to her as familiar. 

The woman had long brown hair, pulled to the side in a bow, and her eyes were a bright electric green. Her face was thin and heart shaped, while her skin was a creamy white. She wore fierce red lipstick, and other shades of black and red were powdered on her eyelids and cheeks, mixing well with her red dress. Aqua had never seen the woman before in her life. 

“I’m sorry if I had frightened you, I am just friends here with Xion. She had mentioned you to me before in passing.” the woman explained, taking the suitcase at her feet in hand. “My son and I must be getting on our way now. We had a stop here in Bern before we were to go into France.” 

Aqua looked at the ground. “I’m sorry to keep you,” she said, facing the young boy again. “I’d hate to part so quickly… but I’m afraid my friend Xion and I must also leave.” Aqua rested her hand over the boy’s. “I’ll come back to visit you, okay? You were right about me, but I need to go.” 

“Will you really come back to see me?” 

“I promise.” Aqua swallowed hard, unsure if she would ever actually live up to her promise.  
The woman and her son then gave their goodbyes, walking briskly away as Xion and Aqua entered the elevator. The boy had turned around one last time to watch the doors of the elevator close, and Aqua could feel guilt rising up in her chest. She turned halfway to look at Xion, and she frowned. 

“Who was that, Xion?” Aqua said, feeling nauseous as the elevator ascended. 

Xion shifted in her stance, resting against the wall of the elevator. “A friend of Terra’s and Mrs. Erde. They had supposedly met a year ago when Terra came back to Switzerland, but I hadn’t known of her until recently. Her name was… Relena?” 

“She used to have blonde hair, and she just adopted her son not too long ago. The woman had changed a lot since I first met her.” Xion added. 

Aqua nodded, sinking down in her seat. The womans green eyes were the only familiar thing about her… but the only other person she had come to know with eyes that vibrant, was Lea. He was surely not in the south. He was trying to clear up his life with Isa, and gave no further detail than that. Or it could have been Larxene, but Aqua figured against it. 

The elevator eventually reached the second floor, and the two quickly ran past the other commuters in the station, finding their car outside to take back to the country. Xion explained that the chalet was only a few minutes outside of town, but Aqua didn’t mind. The city of Bern was exciting to see go by in the car, mostly because Aqua had never been outside of Germany in her entire life. The architecture was similar in some ways, but Switzerland had an entirely different glow to it. 

Traffic wasn’t too terrible coming out of the city, and there were several stops for them on the way, but once they were out of the city trees lined either side of the road and it started to rain. Xion gave Aqua a shawl from her suitcase, telling her it would be cold, especially at the sunset hour. The scenery was much nicer than the marshlands that surrounded Hamburg, and there were many more forested areas. At one point they even passed by a lake, and Aqua was amazed at how beautiful it looked in the moonlight. 

They passed through a small town, and the driver informed them that they were close by. Aqua couldn’t contain her excitement, and she was almost bouncing in her seat as they drove up the hill. People herded cattle off in the distance, some sheep resting here and there in the field. The rain had cleared up, and the moon started to glisten softly behind the thin clouds overhead. 

Their driver had pulled off to the side of the road, opening the doors for Aqua and Xion to exit the car. Beside them to the right was a small gate surrounded by tall dense trees encased by a wrought iron fence, going down the lane quite a way. Xion stepped out of the car, stretching her legs before reaching to take luggage from the trunk and front seat. The driver helped Aqua out, making sure she wouldn’t roll down the hill, and then pushed her safely inside the gate.  
Aqua looked around the yard, noting the dozens of cats crawling out from under the trees and plants. Some sat in the grass at a distance from Aqua, while others sashayed over to rub against her legs and even just sniff at the wheelchair she sat in. She observed the vegetable garden over past the chalet, and a clothes line was strung up between two poles beside it. A patio curved to the side of the vegetable garden, and led down to a water pump. 

The chalet resembled something close to a country home in Germany, but was painted with shades of spring. Hues of yellow and green were the most recognizable, yet there were also small shades of blues and magenta. The porch wrapped around to the left side, while flowers and a large sycamore tree filled the right side. The leaves from the massive tree were pleasant colors of red, orange, and yellow. Windows were lit up from light inside, and lanterns lit up the pathways and outdoors. 

Xion walked past her, followed by the car driver, who escaped onto the porch. Aqua followed closely behind, stopping just before the porch steps. A cat from earlier came back to greet Aqua, and she reached down to pet it, smiling softly. 

“He’s one of the newer cats, dropped off by an owner who couldn’t take care of him, but I know people will come by and probably pick him up. Never had a particular liking to me, but he does like chewing on the mint plants in the back.” 

Aqua’s smile grew twice as big, turning up to see the face of the voice, and it was exactly who she was waiting for. 

Terra stood on the porch, leaning against the wooden support of the porch roof. His arms were firmly crossed against his chest, and a smile just as wide as his friend’s greeted her. He slowly made his way down the steps, keeping his eyes steadily on hers, and he stopped right in front of her. 

He reached for her hand, wishing he could feel her skin... “You look amazing… like always,” Terra laughed softly, kneeling down to comfortably talk to her. “I’ve missed you every day we’ve been apart, _mavi_.” his voice ran to a whisper, and he reached up with his other hand to softly brush his hand against her cheek. 

Aqua leaned into his hand, closing her eyes. “I can’t believe we can finally be together,” she murmured, and she felt her eyebrows pinch together. “It all feels so unreal, Terra…” 

Terra’s mouth twitched, and he lent in, wrapping his arms around her. “We’re okay, Aqua.” he cleared his throat, forcing back any tears. “I missed everything about you…” he started to ramble.

“I’m glad that I could come as soon as I could. I don’t know how much longer I could have kept you.” Aqua pulled back from him, observing all of his features. 

His hair had grown longer, the chocolate locks were almost to the middle of his neck, but he maintained it. Most of his other facial features remained untouched, and he was freshly shaven. His eyes of sparkling ocean blue still drew her in, and the deep pleasant tone of his skin made her feel at home. All of the minor details still meant the world to Aqua. She cared about him _so_ much. 

Aqua leant back in to kiss him, knowing it was time to pull back when her wheelchair started to move behind her. She quickly sat back down on her chair, gazing fondly at Terra. He was blushing again, and Aqua couldn’t help but giggle. She reached up to run her hand against his cheek, maintaining her smile to just look at him. 

“I should get you inside, it looks like it’s going to rain again.” his voice was low, but full of the familiar kindness Aqua had grown to adore. “I’m so happy to see you, Aqua… I have so much I want to tell you,” Terra said, picking her up and out of her wheelchair. 

He carefully carried Aqua up the porch and into the front door. The feeling of being in Terra’s arms had grown so unfamiliar in the past year _alone_ but it did make the woman feel at home; safe. She observed the sun room, noting the pleasant floral cushions of the wicker chairs and furniture. Plants ran against the side of the windows, varying in both size and color, and they contrasted nicely against the other colors in the sunroom. There were a few old books on the glass coffee table, and a porcelain mug of tea rested beside a teapot. It was so cozy…

Terra stepped into the living room, gently resting Aqua on the sofa, and then leaving briefly to get her wheelchair before it rained. He brought the chair into the living room, placing it beside Aqua, and then sat down next to her. Sounds of quiet chatter grew from a hallway separating the living room to another two rooms, and the kitchen at the end of the hallway. Aqua silently looked around the room, observing the baubles and treasures around her. The rustic and vintage decor made her comfortable and made her think of home in Germany. 

Suddenly, Aqua remembered she had to phone her father, but she wanted to visit first before immediately assuming that they’d have a phone. She rested back against the cushion, sighing. 

“You don’t know what to say, do you?” 

Aqua turned to Terra, nodding a little. “I suppose…” she trailed off, reaching for his hand. She noticed that he flinched when she reached over, but she wasn’t sure why. She felt a little hesitant to actually hold his hand if he was going to react like so, and she didn’t want to cause him to be in pain. That was the last thing she wanted. It would be better if Aqua would put her thoughts aside. 

Terra brushed back the fringe from his eyes, blushing momentarily. “I sort of knew it was gonna be like this, but I guess I can start off by saying that I’ve planned a trip to Great Britain.” he said, squeezing her hand. A smile grew on his face, and he kept gazing at her. 

“But… Are you still targeted as a threat? I don’t want you to get hurt anymore.” the woman asked, carefully repositioning herself in her seat. 

He shook his head, smiling. “No, I’ll be alright. I’ve resigned from the SS, and gave them an oath. They promised me that if they are in desperate need, they’d contact me, but otherwise I’m out of the game. Forever.” Terra explained, furrowing his brow. 

Aqua sat quietly for a moment, thinking of what to say to that. “You worked with the Secret Service? With whom? You’ve never told me this…” she once again trailed off. Aqua believed that it was the time for Terra to explain some things, and maybe even enlighten her of his childhood. 

“I’m sorry, Aqua. I guess I could tell you things now, you know how I could never really talk about my past. Mainly because I never knew who was listening-” 

“Well, to be honest, Terra, I’ve always felt that you were too afraid to share it with me. I just feel that now everything is over, and that we’ve known each other for years now, that I can finally learn about your past… You know everything about me, but you’re a stranger to me.” Aqua retracted her hand, resting it on her lap.

Terra didn’t say anything in return, and Aqua had thought that she had hurt his feelings, which she wasn’t hoping to do. Honesty was always better to her than lying, but she knew that it came with a price sometimes. 

“I’m sorry Terra, I didn’t mean to hurt you--” 

“No, no. I’m just surprised. No one has ever really told me anything like that before, and I appreciate it. Things have just been too… extreme in the past few years and you know that.” Terra interrupted her. 

Aqua sighed in relief, staring at the newspaper on the coffee table. “We’re both different people than we were in 1939.” she felt really old saying that. “Seven whole years ago…” Aqua trailed off.

The soft chatter from the hallway ended, and out walked the driver from earlier, Xion, and the woman from Terra’s locket. His _mother_. Xion walked the driver man out, closing the door to the sun room behind herself, while Terra’s mother stood in the hallway just gazing at Aqua. Her expression melted, and she looked ready to cry. 

Terra’s mother slowly crept in, holding onto her shawl tightly. “You really are beautiful.” she said, smiling. “My dear, it’s a pleasure to meet you finally. Terra has told me so many great things about you.” 

Aqua couldn’t help but return the woman’s smile, butterflies fluttering in her chest as she thought of things to ask her. That dream of travelling here to meet Mrs. Erde from so many years ago had come true, but it was all so surprising and overwhelming to Aqua. She remembered the first day when Terra had asked her about her own parents--feeling jealous from never having a mother--and she hadn’t thought about them so much as she did before. Terra must’ve become her buffer… or something that made her forget about who they could have been. 

“Mrs. Erde, the pleasure is all mine.” Aqua blinked slowly, still thinking about questions to ask. “Your home is very comfortable, and it reminds me of my own back in Germany.” 

“Please, call me by my first name, Gaea.” Mrs. Erde requested, taking a seat in the chair across from both of them. “It makes me so pleased to hear that, dear… You don’t mind if I call you dear, would you?” she folded her hands, and rested against the back of the chair. 

Aqua shook her head. “No, you’re quite alright, but um…” she trailed off, remembering that she has to call her father. “Do you have a phone? My father wanted me to call him as soon as I got into Switzerland, but we lost ourselves in a conversation with a woman and her child at the station.” she twirled her thumbs, hoping she wasn’t being rude. 

“Of course, dear.” she nodded, standing from her seat. 

“Mom, no sit down, I’ll go call Eraqus.” Terra assured her, standing up. He looked at Aqua. “It’s alright, I’ve memorized your phone number from those years ago when I wasn’t a wanted criminal. And when I couldn’t build up the courage to call you when I wasn’t being hunted.” he winked, walking out of the room to the hallway. 

Gaea groaned, setting her face in her hands. “I’m sorry, I wish he would stop talking like that. He’s not a criminal, and he never was.” she sighed, stepping lightly over to sit beside Aqua. 

“I’ve told myself to get used to his dark humor, unfortunately. It must be something that you procure during your days as an informant, but I agree with you.” Aqua paused. “He should put it behind himself.” she started to play with the fabric of her skirt. 

Before Aqua had a second to object, Gaea had pulled her into a hug, but it was comforting so there wasn’t a complaint to be made. Aqua wrapped her arms around the woman, noticing how different this hug felt compared to ones from her father. She was starting to get a little sad, but then she could feel Gaea’s arms tighten. 

“I’ve wanted to thank you for such a long time, Aqua… You’ve done so much to help Terra,” Gaea whispered, pulling back to look into Aqua’s eyes. “I appreciate every small thing that you have helped him with.” she set her arms at her side. 

Aqua shook her head, softly laughing. “I guess you’d do crazy things while in love.” she hesitated before saying love. “I’m sorry, I just feel so weird right now, everything is so overwhelming!” 

Gaea nodded, an expression mixed with content and understanding lining her aging face. “No, I understand dear. Travelling is difficult, and so is moving. I’ve done it so many times before.” she glanced to the hallway. “The hardest move was probably when I moved from my homeland in early 1916, just before I had given birth to Terra and his… brother.” she trailed off. 

“You travelled when you were pregnant, during the Great War?” Aqua gaped, her eyes wide. She was amazed. “Terra hasn’t told me much about his childhood, and I’m curious.”

The older woman laughed. “Terra has never been open to conversation about himself before. Even when he was younger, he never talked about his day at school, or if he had met any new friends…” Gaea paused. “He was always with his brother, and they had this odd kind of relationship that even, I, couldn’t explain. My husband always told me it was because they were twins.” 

Aqua could feel her throat tighten as Gaea talked about her sons, and she felt guilt weigh down her heart. She thought about saying something then, but she knew that it wouldn’t make anything any better. It felt branded on her soul that she had shot and killed Ansem, and she knew if it was Terra, he might have done the same. Then again… Aqua wasn’t sure if she could say that. She still felt like so much of a stranger, and maybe if he’d let her in, it wouldn’t be as nerve racking. 

“Aqua?” 

The blue woman snapped back from her haze, jumping in surprise. “What? Oh, I’m sorry, I lost my train of thought for a second…” she lied. 

Gaea nodded, settling back against the sofa. “You’re fine, my dear. I just get worried.” she said, turning her head. “I know you’ve seen him in bad states, his nightmares,” her voice grew quiet, but she looked back at Aqua. 

“Terra’s nightmares?” 

“Yes.” 

Aqua shifted her eyes to the floor, folding her hands over her lap. “He looks much better than he did a year ago, Gaea. The… state he was in containment… was deplorable, horrific, and sickly. And I mind you that he was in there for a few days, but the damage those… those _beasts_ did to him was the work of an evil, _evil_ man.” she felt the guilt and discomfort settle in her stomach. 

Terra’s mother shook her head, lowering it. “I don’t know what to say.” she whispered. “I’m frightened when he has a reaction, and to be honest, I still am not sure what to do about it. I want to help my only son, but I feel like I am smothering him or not doing the right thing.”  
“I learned to just be there for him. The more I would comfort him, the quicker he was able to recover.” Aqua closed her eyes. “I wish I could have done more for him, but I suppose the good thing is that we’re now together again.” she folded her hands, sighing deeply. 

Gaea nodded, saying: “My dear, just being here for him is more than enough. I cannot even count the times he has wanted to call you or even take a train up to see you. He was willing to risk the importance of his safety again to see you, but I couldn’t let him.” she slowly stood from the sofa, spotting Terra’s eyes from the hallway, his presence completely unbeknownst to Aqua. 

Aqua watched as she was rising from her seat. “Where are you going?” 

“Well, it isn’t even seven-thirty yet, so I believe I’m going to finish the stew I was going to make for dinner.” Gaea smiled, winking at Aqua. “Terra you can stop lurking now. I’m going to go into the kitchen if you need me, dear.”

Terra attempted to casually walk out from the hallway, but he staggered a bit. “I-I got off the phone with your father, Aqua, and I told him of your arrival and gave him our phone number here in case he needed to reach you.” he passed his mother, standing beside Aqua. 

“Why don’t you show Aqua around, dear? I’d love for her to have an idea of where everything is.” Terra’s mother said lastly, before disappearing into the hallway. 

Terra turned to face Aqua, raising his eyebrows. “Hope she didn’t get too carried away. She tends to do that sometimes.” he laughed, but it broke off into a long groan.

Aqua smiled, glancing down to notice him hiding his prosthetic out of her view, but she didn’t say anything. It bothered her that he wasn’t comfortable with it, even after a whole year and so on. “Is everything alright with my father? Did he sound well?” 

He shifted in place, biting his cheek. “Yeah,” he nodded, crossing his arms. “He wasn’t too pleased to hear me on the other end, but he was glad you were okay. Said something about Lea and Isa coming over? Wasn’t too sure about that myself, to be honest.” he smiled, gazing at her. 

Aqua nodded, tilting her head to the side. “I’d love to take a look around. Just to get familiar with everything.”

\--

Aqua and Terra spoke little of what had happened to either of them in the year that they were apart, as Aqua was still wishing to hear about Terra’s life, he was too preoccupied with making excuses of why he couldn’t talk about it. His mother was right, yet Aqua didn’t doubt the woman. She admired her greatly, just like Terra had mentioned to her all those years before. 

They spent the rest of the evening chatting over dinner of what had become of Germany, and how different eastern Europe had become even in weeks after the end of the war and Communism. It distracted Aqua, so she wouldn’t ask any questions, but it did feel odd to her to be staying in Terras home, when he wouldn’t even talk of the days before his time as an informant. She only knew him as that. 

A rat. 

They had explored the first floor of the Swiss chalet home together before dinner, chatting about small domestic things that would otherwise gone unnoticed if someone wasn’t trying to stall conversation. Aqua tried to talk about the small family photographs and portraits in the small study near the living room, but Terra seemed almost afraid, like she had mentioned earlier. It hadn’t started to get under her skin until then. 

After dinner, it was getting rather late and they decided to turn in for the evening. Aqua decided to give it one last shot that night to ask about his past, hoping to rouse _something_ out of him. She had gotten into bed first, and while Terra was just walking back in from the hallway, she was locked in deep thought. 

Terra raised an eyebrow glancing at Aqua in bed, while unbuckling the shoulder harness for his prosthetic. He bit his cheek before asking what she was thinking about. “You look like you’re trying to think of something to say to the queen of England… What’s wrong?” he asked, gently pulling off the fake appendage. 

Aqua shook herself from her gaze, staring right at where his forearm used to be, surprised by its absence. “Your forearm… they had to amputate it?” she asked right back, ignoring his question. She met his eyes.

He turned halfway, hiding it behind his side, out of her view. “Yeah. They did.” he was cross, but even he knew that she had a right to know. 

“Terra... please, don’t be that way. I’m not ashamed, or embarrassed, or disgraced. I’m sorry that you had to have more taken away, it wasn’t fair to you.” Aqua’s eyebrows knit together, and she took a deep breath. “I’m proud of you, Terra. You’ve come so far in the little time of a year, and you look so much better than you did last year.” 

Terra’s brow twitched, and he stared into the floor. “I wanted to do it for you, so I can hear you play again, without losing my mind…” his voice grew quiet. “I want you to be happy…”

Aqua frowned. “I _am_ happy, Terra. I’m happy being with you. It may seem that I’m happier playing the piano, but I’m happy doing that because you’d be there with me.” her voice was hoarse. “Come here, please,” she held out her arms. 

He followed, crawling onto the bed to lay beside her, his arms wrapping around her middle. His head rested against her collar, and he let out a deep breath. 

The blue woman pulled her arms around his neck, and she left a kiss on the top of his head. She completely forgot what she was going to ask him earlier, and instead decided to focus on making him feel better. It was so warm being close to him, and she remembered that this is what she missed from the year of being apart. The small moments of being together with him like this. 

“You’ve shown me so much love, Aqua.” Terra whispered, kissing the soft bare skin of her neck. “Everything you’ve done, you haven’t show one small sign of giving up. You’ve always done it for others. Not for yourself, but the others you care about, and I admire that so… so much.”

Aqua wasn’t sure what to say to that, remaining silent. She ran her hand through his hair, closing her eyes. Her other hand rubbed circles into his back, and after a moment, she felt him softly kissing her neck. She could feel her face flare up, but she tried to keep it to herself. 

Terra kissed her one last time, pulling back from her. “I’m so glad to have you back, Aqua.” he caressed her cheek, gazing briefly into her eyes. He then crawled off the bed, pulling the blankets and sheets back on the bed before getting back on. 

As soon as he was back on and had turned out the light, Aqua snuggled up close to his side. She wrapped her arm around his waist, and pressed her face against his bare chest. 

“Good night Terra.” 

“I love you, Aqua.”

\--

Terra awoke the next morning, a chilly autumn breeze flew in from the window opposite to the bed, while soft meowing and the crunching of leaves lead him from his sleep. He blinked, adjusting his eyes to the surprising sunny skies pouring in from the window. His arm was numb, and he looked down to find Aqua’s wild mane scattered at his side. He had completely forgotten in his sleep that she was here, but he must have remembered somehow, since it was the best he had slept in an entire year. And he wasn’t trying to exaggerate. 

The blankets and sheets were kicked off in the middle of the night, sloppily laying at the end of the bed and only being stopped by the endboard of the bed frame. Terra was cold, and he could assume that Aqua was too, since she was pressed up at his side. He slowly reached down to grab one of the blankets or sheets, and he successfully took one, covering both of them up.

Terra wanted to fall back asleep, trying to close his eyes and just fade back into rest. His body wouldn’t let him, so he just stared at the long wooden beams across the ceiling. He thought about his future with Aqua, wondering what they were going to do next. Of course they would be leaving for England in a few coming days, but what _after that_? 

He didn’t know what they would do… 

He started to think about the phone call he made to Eraqus the previous day, remembering the disinterested tone of his voice as soon as Terra greeted him. Eraqus was asking about how Aqua was, of course, and Terra responded to him honestly, _of course_ , and he played twenty questions about what they were doing and so on. But the old man on the other end of the line didn’t sound as healthy as Terra remembered him being from the last time they had spoken. Despite it having been a year ago.

Since Terra had stayed at their home for those few months, he had taken notice of a steady stream of alcohol, never smoking, as Aqua despised smoking, but there was quite the amount of alcohol in the house. He never remembered seeing Aqua drink any alcohol, except on special occasion, but he did see her father drink. He’d sometimes have a drink in hand while having pleasant conversation, but Terra would usually never see pleasant conversation with Eraqus anyway… Nevertheless, Eraqus seemed to be a heavy drinker. 

While Terra was staring at the ceiling lost in thought, he didn’t even notice Aqua gently roll over on top of his stomach in her sleep. It took him a moment to actually realize her there, and when he did, he smoothed her hair, pulling it away from her face. She sighed, her arm extending over to wrap around his middle. Terra took a deep breath, hoping that he had not disturbed her. 

Baby blue eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the bright light from the windows. Aqua focused on Terra’s apprehensive emotion, and she reached up to caress his cheek. She couldn’t help herself and she smiled, giggling at his worry of rousing her from sleep. 

“You’re awake.” 

Aqua rested her chin on his stomach. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” she murmured, closing her eyes. “Are you alright?” 

Terra blinked, shaking his head. He tried to ignore the thought of asking about her father. “Y-yeah I just woke up a few minutes ago too, I didn’t want to wake you up.” he said.

She laughed softly. “What time is it?” 

He looked over to check the small table clock on the dresser top. “It’s just a bit past ten.”

\--

Later that evening, they discussed the trip planned for England and decided that they were going to take a train through Germany to stop at the farmhouse. From there they were going back to Hamburg to board a train to France, and finally a boat to cross the English channel to reach their destination. Terra was worried about Aqua not liking the several changes in transportation, but she politely agreed, knowing there wasn’t any other way to get there. She just wanted to see Ven again. 

Terra was sprawled out on the lounge in the study, his eyes focused on Aqua at the piano, and he sighed. He forgot how much he missed the sound of her playing. Soft dulcet notes filled the room, whirling around with each and every other note added to the song. After a moment, Aqua stopped playing, reaching for a pencil from her leather portfolio. She scribbled something on the sheet music she read from, and then tapped a key or two on the piano, probably choosing a better note for that section. 

“What’s that?” Terra asked, sitting up. He couldn’t help but admire how nice she looked against the soft light from the garden doors. 

Aqua chuckled, nodding. “I was changing a small error with my composition.” She sat against the back of her wheelchair, sighing. “This was written for my brother, right after he had come to see me earlier this month.” Her expression melted a bit, and she seemed to zone out. 

“Are you excited to go see him?” Terra stood up, stepping over to stand behind her, glancing here and there at her sheet music. He wrapped his arms around her neck and shoulders, pressing a kiss to her cheek. 

A hand reached up to hold onto his prosthetic, and she gently patted the wooden appendage. Aqua rested her head against his stomach, looking up at him. “Terra… do you ever miss your brother?” she asked, frowning. 

He blinked slowly, furrowing his brow. Slowly, he sighed, answering her thus: “Aqua, I am still shaken by the fact that he was still alive for half of my life. Not to mention he had tortured me and… shot you.” Terra leant down, kissing her. 

Aqua wanted a straight answer, instead of reminding her of what Ansem had done. “I know what he’s done, but do you ever miss the days when you two were close? I mean, I don’t know what it’s like to have a twin, but your mother told me that you two were very close, so you must have had a good relationship with him, right?” She met his eyes, holding onto his forearm.

Terra bit his cheek shrugging. “Well, I mean I guess we did…but that was when we were just kids. After we moved to a small town near Munich, he started to change. Only little things that I ignored when I was that young, but now when I think back,” he shook his head, loosening his hug around Aqua’s shoulders. 

“He started to make friends with people that didn’t like me, and from that point on, he and I didn’t speak much. When father took him out to our family cabin down south, they never came back.” Terra finished, staring deep into the piano’s keys. 

Aqua’s heart sank, feeling bad for asking. “I’m sorry Terra--”

“It’s alright, _mavi_. God knows I’ve mourned enough, and I’m sure father is probably cursing at me right now to tell me to stop worrying about it.” he laughed darkly, glancing down at Aqua. Terra stared at her for a good while, smiling. 

The woman narrowed her eyes at him, grinning in return. “What?” she asked. “Why are you smiling at me?” 

Terra shook his head. “Aqua Bűvész, you’re too good for me.” 

\--

Later that evening, Terra reluctantly talked about more of his past, not all of it however. He only focused on his childhood, or whatever he remembered of it. He hoped he wasn’t being too terribly obvious with his reluctance, and he was thankful that she didn’t say anything. The only thing he still wasn’t open to talking about was his previous occupation. Not a single word was mentioned about the subject, but Aqua didn’t seem to mind. 

The next few days went by fast. They filled their days with sightseeing throughout Bern, visiting an art gallery, a few shops in town, and just wandering around town for Aqua to look at the architecture. Terra was amused by her excitement. But by the time the fifth day rolled by, it was time for them to leave for Hamburg. 

Aqua sadly bid farewell to Gaea, promising to write to her occasionally, and the aging woman kindly agreed to do the same. As all of her things were packed and ready to go, Terra seemed to take longer than expected. 

It seemed like he wasn't sure what to take with him, which happened to surprise Aqua. Since she's known him, he's never had this problem with packing, but then again she's never travelled with him before. At least they were able to safely share first experiences together.

While Aqua waited in the sun room for him, she was making small conversation with Xion. As soon as Aqua perked her head up to glance into the living room, she saw Terra pulling on his coat while talking to his mother. From inside his left coat pocket outpoured the pastel orange of the scarf Aqua had crafted for him, all those years ago. She smiled wide, reminiscing on the fond memories.

Terra parted from his mother, and then Xion helped carry their luggage to the car. Aqua was assisted off of the porch and onto the ground, where she gave Gaea a long hug, thanking her for the warm welcome and wonderful hospitality during her stay. She promised to come back and visit, waving to the woman as she watched from her porch.

Terra pushed Aqua's wheelchair to the road in front of the estate, giving her the help she wanted as she got into the car. He quickly got into the other side of the car and closed the door. He was ready to go.

After another moment or two, they started back off to the train station in Bern, and Aqua couldn't help but be sad for the departure. Only if she could have stayed just a few days more.

Unbeknownst to the driver and passengers in the vehicle, Xion had run out from the estate's gate, waving her hands to try and catch their attention, but they were already too far to notice her.

\--

The train ride back to Hamburg was smooth, thankfully with no surprising stops or problems along the way. Terra had a minor episode during the ride, but he explained that it was just the fact of traveling again, which seemed hard for Aqua to believe but she tried to comfort him as best as she could. He rested for the majority of the time after his problem, and Aqua found herself getting lost at the quick passing scenes at the window.

When the train reached the station, rain was pouring, spilling over the concrete arches of the station. As they waited for their car back to the farmhouse, a familiar tied up mane of red and a thin face to match made headway in their sitting direction.

It was Lea --or Flamesman, or whatever that third nickname was-- and he didn't wear his famous shit-eating grin. The red haired man looked distressed, but as he laid eyes upon the absurd blue of his friend's hair, he seemed relieved in a small way.

"Aqua, Terra, thank Christ I found you, I've been trying to call you guys for hours." Lea said, exasperated. "I'm taking you back to the farmhouse, but that's not the main problem here,"

Aqua furrowed her brow, reaching to take Lea's hand in greeting. "What's wrong Lea?! You look like you haven't slept in days!" she cried, observing the dark circles underneath his vibrant green eyes.

Terra didn't say a word, waiting for the news to be passed.

"It's your father, Aqua," the man said solemnly, his green eyes focused right on Aqua's eyes. "He's fallen ill, and the doctor hasn't been able to find an exact explanation why."

Aqua's eyes went wide, the sunniness from only moments before completely drained from her face. "Papa..." she whispered, immediately looking to Terra. "We have to go right now,"

Terra nodded, taking the moment to grab the luggage at his side and give one to Lea, who willingly accepted it. "Lea, the car."

"Has Ventus been told? Is going to be able to come in?" Aqua asked quickly, her mind now running a mile a minute.

"Yeah," the redhead said, leading them to the car. "Ven said that he's going to arrive tomorrow with Vanitas. Isa and I have already arranged their transportation and such."

"Thank you, Lea..."

For a few moments they didn't say anything, instead they worked on getting Aqua into the car. She was the first in the vehicle, while Terra and Lea shoved all of the luggage into the trunk. The rain pounded against the windows and roof of the car. Terra and Lea spent a moment yelling at each other outside of the car before getting in, and Aqua was tempted to open the car door and lose her temper at them. She just wanted to go back to her father...

After another moment of them shouting insults between themselves, Aqua clenched her fists and threw open the car door.

"I swear to _God_ if you two do not stop and get in this car I will kill both of you!" She screamed above the rain, frightening a few of the other passengers on the transportation platform. When the rain started to fall into the car, she pulled the car door shut with a hefty slam.

The two men ceased their bickering, probably startled by Aqua's violent outburst, and they climbed into the car. Lea was left to drive, and Terra sat uncomfortably beside Aqua in the back seat. He doesn't remember a time where Aqua raised her voice like that.

As they drove through the streets of Hamburg to the city outskirts, Aqua cleared her throat, grabbing a bunch of her skirt in hand. "I didn't mean to yell at you two... I just..." she stared at her legs, sighing sadly. "It wasn't the time for you two to be arguing, especially in the rain. You could have gotten sick."

Lea glanced in the rear-view mirror, snorting. "Getting sick was the last thing that would have happened to me. I'm practically invincible to illnesses." he boasted, his eyes stagnant on the rainy windshield.

Not even a moment after the man's confident comment, he sneezed, and his entire body jumped with the action. Aqua blessed him, narrowing her eyes. She was so tempted to say "I told you so," but the words never left her mouth.

They soon reached the outskirts of the city after the long traffic, and from there it was smooth sailing. There was only a few cars behind them, or in passing, so the pounding rain was their only distraction. Aqua found herself nervously fussing with the hem of the tie for her coat, and after she noticed her action, she quickly stopped and started to pick at her hands instead.

Terra had been staring out the window, but in his moment to check on Aqua, he saw her fidgeting. He turned to face her, gently reaching over to grab for her hand.

Aqua noticed, glancing over to see his eyes and then smiled softly. She took his prosthetic hand in hers, carefully running her thumb over the rough carving of the wooden appendage.

To herself, Aqua reassured herself over and over again that her father was going to be just fine. The weather and her pushing anxiety was greater however, and they did nothing but squeeze her into knowing that it _wasn't_ going to be okay.

\--

When they reached the farmhouse, the rain hadn't let up, and it still pounded hard against the ground. Aqua quickly got into the house, pushing herself to get upstairs to her father in his room and see him.

Eraqus... wasn't in as bad of a state that Lea had insinuated and Aqua was relieved in that sense, but he still looked terrible. His skin was tinted a light yellow, instead of his usual tan hue. He was still capable of speaking, breathing, moving, and so on. Eraqus did look incredibly tired, and the doctor mentioned a shortness of breath.

The old man complained of being stuck in bed, asking for a drink while he was up there, and the doctor dismissed the idea of his illness having anything to do with the substance. So Eraqus was able to drink as much as he wanted.He was also upset that Aqua didn't tell him about her trip to England, but Aqua reassured him that she wasn't going anywhere until he was better.

After two more days, his condition wasn't improving.

Ven came on the second day with Vanitas, and they could tell that the man's condition was worsening. The yellow tint grew more apparent over more time, and the doctor finally concluded that it had to do with his liver, but was too thick-headed to conclude anything else.

While Eraqus was resting, Aqua was able to introduce Terra to Ventus. They chatted for quite some time, sharing stories about what happened during their time apart and what they hoped they could do in the future. Aqua talked about Switzerland and the trip back to Germany. They decided to stay at the Farmhouse until Eraqus healed and was capable of handling things.

Unfortunately... he didn't.

\--

The days at the farmhouse turned into a week and a half. Eraqus wasn't showing any strong signs of improvement, and Ventus was worried about his home back in England. Aqua tried to assure him that it was going to be alright, but even she knew that she couldn't lie about it anymore.

Oddly, Eraqus requested to see Terra, with whatever amount of time he had left. Terra wasn't sure how to react when he was called up.

"Won't you please tell me what he says to you," Aqua asked, holding Terra's hands. She had developed dark circles under her eyes in the past week alone, and Terra didn't like how little sleep she was getting. But he understood.

Terra nodded, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Of course I will _güzel mavi_. I'll be back as soon as I can."

And with that, Terra slowly ascended the staircase to Eraqus' chamber, a knot forming in his stomach. He didn't know why Meister wanted to talk to him, since he thought the old man wanted him dead, but the more he thought about it, he must have some kindness in his heart. It was either that, or he was giving Terra his last dying wish (And Terra really didn't want it to be either).

The Turk slowly approached the chamber door, swiftly knocking on it twice.

"Come in," a groggy and gross sounding voice rose from the other side.

Terra opened the door, then immediately closing it. He took a long, good, look at the man stuck in his bed. The man's skin was now a sickening yellow, the sclera of his eyes also sharing the yellow. One hand firmly covered the blankets over his waist and chest, while the other held a glass of liquor, and his back and head was propped up by multiple pillows. On his side table were several bottles of medications, and beside that was a fifth of his favorite honey-flavored liquor, _Bärenfang_.

"Sit down, Terra." Eraqus groaned, sucking down more alcohol.

Terra nodded, taking a seat in the chair at his bedside. He sat anxiously in the chair, picking at his hands in anticipation of what was to come out of this very personal meeting.

Eraqus hazily looked at Terra with narrow eyes, clearing his throat before speaking. "I can't believe you're the same man from those eleven years ago when I met you." he scoffed, shaking his head. "I'm surprised my daughter has that much of an influence on you."

"Listen, Eraqus," Terra started, biting his cheek to hold back any anger wishing to push through. "I don't want to fight with you anymore, you're dying, and I'd hate to be the last person you talk to." he said, forcing himself not to smile.

"I'm not dying."

"Yes you are, Eraqus. You've poisoned yourself." Terra reached over and pulled the glass of liquor out of the already weak man's hand. "You are drowning yourself in alcohol." he said matter-of-factly, setting the glass on the floor.

Eraqus rolled his eyes. "Like you know anything about drinking lightly. You're a drunkard too, I know you are. All informants are the same." he rebuked harshly, and Terra could not tell if the man was intoxicated or not. The same venom had come from sober Eraqus before, so it was a total toss-up.

"Why did you call me up here?" Terra took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm. "If it was just to insult me like you always do, then I'll just leave." He crossed his arms.

The sickly man coughed violently, clearing his throat afterwards. "No, unfortunately." he started, wiping his mouth. "I wanted to ask something of you... something I should have given you the chance for years ago, but I ended up never doing." he closed his eyes.

Terra didn't say anything, waiting for what he was going to say.

"Aqua will need someone strong in her life, not only to help her through living with her disability, but also to guide her and stand by her side--" Eraqus coughed again, groaning and resting a moment before speaking again. "Now, I'm not telling you to go wander off with her and let her do what she wants, but I want her to be safe. Keep a house here in Germany, in the country..."

Terra furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't understand, are you giving me your blessing?! Because Aqua and I are not ready for that large of a leap in our relationship--"

"Christ almighty, stop talking!" Eraqus shook his head. He sighed, closing his eyes. "I just want you to take care of her. Be good to her."

Terra nodded gently, expecting more to come from the old man's gob, but he said nothing more. The Turk rose from the bedside seat, and he left the room. He returned downstairs to the children of Eraqus Meister, and lied of what the old man told him.

By the time the next morning came along, Eraqus Meister had died in his sleep. A peaceful death.

Days of mourning followed, and word had reached the people who were involved with Terra's rescue during the war. They sent sympathy gifts and letters to Aqua, wishing her the best, and hoping she is fine in her time of sadness. Even a letter from Larxene was in the mix, expressing the wish to see Aqua again.

Aqua asked that Ven moved back to Germany so he could be closer to home incase any other problem was to arise. Reluctantly, Ventus agreed, talking it over with Vanitas, who also agreed. The step-siblings began preparations for a funeral, which set an even darker mood upon them. But Aqua knew they could prevail.

They always had.

\--

Months passed and seasons changed, but the farmhouse still sang with the dulcet tones of piano melodies and tunes all year. Aqua had decided to stay in the farmhouse and keep it for the future family. She let Terra stay with her, although embarrassingly having no idea what they were going to do. Marriage was something Aqua wasn't mentally prepared for, so in the meantime, they just stayed together.

Ventus moved into the town just a few minutes down the dirt road from the farmhouse, and he shared the home with Vanitas, just like they had in England. He became a teacher at the school in the town, hoping to stay there for quite some time.

Aqua scribbled on her sheet music, hearing the sweet sounds of swing music on the radio in the living room. Terra sat beside her, composing a letter to his mother in Switzerland about their most recent happenings up in northwestern Germany. Paco laid between them, purring softly before falling asleep.

On the radio was a familiar tune, one Terra had heard while in hiding those few years ago in France. It was the song that he couldn't help but compare to himself and Aqua, in the days where it was complete chance if they could spend an afternoon together. It began to bring back memories of what their days used to be like, and the song was all too perfect for them. One day, an hour, or even five minutes... just as long as they could see each other.

But now they were able to share the days together, for as long as they ever wanted, all while they had the past to build from. Terra knew the song wouldn't be able to bring any other thought to mind when he heard it, and it brought a smile to his lips. Even through all of the suffering, emotion, death, and separation, they prevailed and grew stronger.

And all these memories would come back, in the hauntingly familiar tune of _Mon Dieu_.

_Fin_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally.... done guys. I honestly can't believe it. This has been such a wild ride that it kinda just feels like it all went past in a flash of lightning despite my constant complaining about it. It's been like a year and two months, this whole journey. There's so many ups and downs that happened in this fic like... what. 
> 
> For some clarification for this final chapter:  
> \- I decided last minute to get rid of the prologue and epilogue aspect of it; it would have meant a longer wait for an epilogue and you guys literally deserve the world and for this to be resolved.  
> \- surprise!! Larxene was the woman with the child in Bern! I wanted to hint at her still being an important character, but I didn't want to flat out tell you guys that she was there. Sorry for you Larxene fans [me].  
> \- Eraqus's death was a super last minute addition to the story, and I was basically trying to think of something that would leave a bigger impact, but also have some relevance throughout the entire story. Since almost everyone in the 20s, 30s, and 40s were major alcoholics and smokers, I decided to have that impact Eraqus (mainly because I also felt that his character type throughout this entire story would fit that type of trope) ((so sorry any eraqus fans out there, i really dont like him)) in the worse way possible by chronic liver failure!! He's dead now!!
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this wild ride of a story, and I think I'll be taking a break from long multichaps like this for a bit. You all have given me loads of support to keep going during this, and I really appreciate it! Thank you so much! 
> 
> I hope to see you in the next adventure!


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